# CVE-2026-35468: Nimiq core-rs-albatross denial of service via history index panic

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-35468-nimiq-core-rs-albatross-denial-of-service-via-history-index-panic  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-04-03. Updated: 2026-07-24  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-35468 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.3 · Published 2026-04-03

Nimiq core-rs-albatross is a Rust-based implementation of the Nimiq blockchain protocol. A vulnerability exists where a remote user can crash a blockchain node by sending specific network requests while the node is syncing or running without a history index. This results in a denial-of-service, potentially disrupting the node's ability to participate in the network or process transactions.

Technologies: [Nimiq Albatross](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/albatross), [Nimiq Proof-Of-Stake](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/nimiq-proof-of-stake). Vendors: [Nimiq](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/nimiq).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-35468 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-35468 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-35468?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.3, published 3 April 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Nimiq Albatross < 1.3.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-35468?** A patch was published on 2026-03-27: Fixed in commit 0e5c90a and PR #3667 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-35468 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-35468?** Check whether you run Nimiq Albatross or Nimiq Proof-Of-Stake 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.

## Technical details

A denial-of-service vulnerability exists in Nimiq core-rs-albatross due to an unchecked return value in the consensus request handlers. Specifically, the handlers for 'RequestTransactionsProof' and 'RequestTransactionReceiptsByAddress' call 'blockchain.history_store.history_index().unwrap()' directly. Because 'HistoryStoreProxy::history_index()' returns 'None' when a node is in the 'WithoutIndex' state (such as during syncing), this call triggers an 'Option::unwrap()' panic. A remote, unauthenticated peer can exploit this by sending these specific requests to a target node, causing the process to crash. The issue is fixed in version 1.3.0 by implementing guard clauses that return an error instead of panicking.

## Affected products

- Nimiq core-rs-albatross < 1.3.0

## Timeline

- 2026-03-27: patched: Fixed in commit 0e5c90a and PR #3667
- 2026-03-27: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-xr78-2jhh-9wf9 published
- 2026-04-03: disclosed: CVE-2026-35468 published to NVD

## References

- [https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/commit/0e5c90a6c75b722f3d6091769776a4040e694dba](https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/commit/0e5c90a6c75b722f3d6091769776a4040e694dba)
- [https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/pull/3667](https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/pull/3667)
- [https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/releases/tag/v1.3.0](https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/releases/tag/v1.3.0)
- [https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/security/advisories/GHSA-xr78-2jhh-9wf9](https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/security/advisories/GHSA-xr78-2jhh-9wf9)

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