CVE-2026-86038

libp2p: Gossipsub StrictSign accepts attacker-signed messages as a victim RSA peer ID

HIGH
7.5
CVSS Score
Published: September 17, 2026 at 03:16 PM UTC
Updated: September 30, 2026 at 05:51 PM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorLIBP2P

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Severity
HIGH7.5
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%
SSVC
PoC

Description

libp2p is a JavaScript implementation of the libp2p networking stack. From 15.0.0 until 16.0.5, @libp2p/gossipsub uses the default StrictSign policy in packages/gossipsub/src/utils/buildRawMessage.ts, where validateToRawMessage verifies a signature with attacker-controlled msg.key but skips binding that key to msg.from when the claimed author is an RSA peer ID that does not inline a public key. An unauthenticated attacker can place a victim RSA peer ID in msg.from, sign the message with the attacker's private key, and supply the attacker's public key in msg.key, causing the message to be accepted and propagated as authored by the victim. Applications that trust message.from for validators, authorization, accounting, moderation, reputation, or audit logging can process attacker-controlled data under false origin attribution. The issue is fixed in version 16.0.5.

Affected

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

v < 16.0.5
Affected range stops below 16.0.5, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet, and no fixed version or vendor advisory is recorded against it.

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCPoCAutomatablePartial impact

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

CVSS

7.5HIGHGitHub_M
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
NONE
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
NONE
Integrity
HIGH
Availability
NONE
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusAWAITING ANALYSIS
CWE
CWE-345CWE-347

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