CVE-2026-33894: Digital Bazaar node-forge signature forgery in RSASSA PKCS#1 v1.5

CVE-2026-33894 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2026-03-27

Forge (node-forge) is a popular JavaScript library used for implementing security protocols like TLS and digital signatures. A vulnerability in its signature verification process allows attackers to bypass security checks by creating forged digital signatures that appear valid. This could allow an attacker to impersonate trusted entities or provide malicious data that the system incorrectly trusts as authentic.

Technologies: node-forge (npm), Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8, Red Hat Developer Hub 1.8, Red Hat Quay 3.12. Vendors: npm, Red Hat.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-33894 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-33894 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-33894?
High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 27 March 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
node-forge (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=1.4.0, SEMVER:introduced=0,last_affected=1.4.0.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-33894?
Yes. node-forge (npm): upgrade to 1.4.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-33894 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-33894?
Check whether you run node-forge (npm), Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8, Red Hat Developer Hub 1.8 or one of the others listed at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

How to fix

  • node-forge (npm): upgrade to 1.4.0 or later
    npm install node-forge@1.4.0

Technical details

Forge (node-forge) prior to version 1.4.0 fails to properly validate the canonical structure of RSASSA PKCS#1 v1.5 signatures. Specifically, the library's signature verification logic accepts forged signatures for keys with a low public exponent (e=3) by allowing 'garbage' bytes to be stuffed within the ASN.1 structure. While the library includes a check to ensure all bytes are consumed during parsing, it does not verify that the resulting structure matches the minimal DigestInfo shape required by RFC 8017. Additionally, the library fails to enforce the minimum 8-byte padding requirement defined in the PKCS#1 specification. These flaws enable Bleichenbacher-style forgery attacks, allowing an attacker to construct a signature that passes verification without possessing the private key. The issue is addressed in version 1.4.0.

Affected products

  • Digital Bazaar node-forge < 1.4.0
  • Red Hat Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
  • Red Hat Red Hat Developer Hub 1.8
  • Red Hat Red Hat Quay 3.12

Identifiers

  • CVE-2026-33894
  • CVE-2026-85393
  • GHSA-86w9-cpqp-85rv
  • GHSA-ppp5-5v6c-4jwp

Timeline

  • 2026-03-24: advisory: Vendor advisory published by Digital Bazaar
  • 2026-03-27: disclosed: CVE published to NVD
  • 2026-03-24: patched: Version 1.4.0 released to address the issue

References

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