In RNP version 0.18.0 a refactoring regression causes the symmetric
session key used for Public-Key Encrypted Session Key (PKESK) packets to
be left uninitialized except for zeroing, resulting in it always being
an all-zero byte array.

Any data encrypted using public-key encryption
in this release can be decrypted trivially by supplying an all-zero
session key, fully compromising confidentiality.

The vulnerability affects only public key encryption (PKESK packets).  Passphrase-based encryption (SKESK packets) is not affected.

Root cause: Vulnerable session key buffer used in PKESK packet generation.



The defect was introduced in commit `7bd9a8dc356aae756b40755be76d36205b6b161a` where initialization
logic inside `encrypted_build_skesk()` only randomized the key for the
SKESK path and omitted it for the PKESK path.
Advisories

No advisories yet.

Fixes

Solution

For standalone RNP users: Upgrade to RNP 0.18.1 when available. For distributions that have packaged 0.18.0: Please update to 0.18.1 when released, or consider providing 0.17.1 as an interim option. For Thunderbird packages using system RNP: If your Thunderbird package is built with system RNP support and RNP 0.18.0 is installed, update RNP to 0.18.1 or 0.17.1. Consider whether Thunderbird should continue using system RNP or switch to bundled RNP. For all other users: Users who encrypted sensitive data using RNP 0.18.0 (standalone or via Thunderbird with system RNP 0.18.0) should re-encrypt that data with RNP 0.18.1 or 0.17.1 based on their security requirements.


Workaround

No workaround.  All PKESK-encrypted ciphertext produced with 0.18.0 is compromised.

History

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 00:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

threat_severity

Important


Mon, 24 Nov 2025 09:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Ribose
Ribose rnp
Vendors & Products Ribose
Ribose rnp

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
References

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'yes', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


Fri, 21 Nov 2025 17:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
References

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 17:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In RNP version 0.18.0 a refactoring regression causes the symmetric session key used for Public-Key Encrypted Session Key (PKESK) packets to be left uninitialized except for zeroing, resulting in it always being an all-zero byte array. Any data encrypted using public-key encryption in this release can be decrypted trivially by supplying an all-zero session key, fully compromising confidentiality. The vulnerability affects only public key encryption (PKESK packets).  Passphrase-based encryption (SKESK packets) is not affected. Root cause: Vulnerable session key buffer used in PKESK packet generation. The defect was introduced in commit `7bd9a8dc356aae756b40755be76d36205b6b161a` where initialization logic inside `encrypted_build_skesk()` only randomized the key for the SKESK path and omitted it for the PKESK path.
Title RNP 0.18.0 Vulnerable PKESK session keys
Weaknesses CWE-330
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N'}

cvssV4_0

{'score': 7.7, 'vector': 'CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/AU:Y/RE:H/U:Red'}


cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Ribose

Published:

Updated: 2025-11-21T17:35:33.645Z

Reserved: 2025-11-20T08:36:59.270Z

Link: CVE-2025-13470

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2025-11-21T17:35:29.339Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Awaiting Analysis

Published: 2025-11-21T17:15:50.473

Modified: 2025-11-25T22:16:42.557

Link: CVE-2025-13470

cve-icon Redhat

Severity : Important

Publid Date: 2025-11-21T17:05:15Z

Links: CVE-2025-13470 - Bugzilla

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2025-11-24T09:07:56Z