CVE-2023-49290

Malicious parameters can cause a denial of service in lestrrat-go/jwx

MEDIUM
5.3
CVSS Score
Published: December 4, 2023 at 11:42 PM UTC
Updated: June 17, 2026 at 06:35 AM UTC
2 products affected across 1 vendorGo JwxJwx

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Severity
MEDIUM5.3
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.7%
SSVC
PoC

Description

lestrrat-go/jwx is a Go module implementing various JWx (JWA/JWE/JWK/JWS/JWT, otherwise known as JOSE) technologies. A p2c parameter set too high in JWE's algorithm PBES2-* could lead to a denial of service. The JWE key management algorithms based on PBKDF2 require a JOSE Header Parameter called p2c (PBES2 Count). This parameter dictates the number of PBKDF2 iterations needed to derive a CEK wrapping key. Its primary purpose is to intentionally slow down the key derivation function, making password brute-force and dictionary attacks more resource- intensive. Therefore, if an attacker sets the p2c parameter in JWE to a very large number, it can cause a lot of computational consumption, resulting in a denial of service. This vulnerability has been addressed in commit `64f2a229b` which has been included in release version 1.2.27 and 2.0.18. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

v < 1.2.27v < 2.0.182.0.0 ≤ v < 2.0.18
Affected range stops below 1.2.27, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement
Affected range stops below 2.0.18, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement
v < 2.0.18
Affected range stops below 2.0.18, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCPoCAutomatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

5.3MEDIUMGitHub_M
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
NONE
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
NONE
Integrity
NONE
Availability
LOW
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusMODIFIED
CWE
CWE-400

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