Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-48946

Crypto Weakness in Openquantumsafe Liboqs ≤ 0.13.0

Published
30 May 2025
Modified
17 June 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 3.7
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0021 11th percentile
Risk Priority 31 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-48946 is a low-severity Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm (CWE-327) vulnerability in Openquantumsafe Liboqs. Its CVSS base score is 3.7 (Low).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Adversary-in-the-Middle (T1557); ranked at the 11th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

This vulnerability is AI-related — categorised as Other Platforms; in the Protocol-Specific Risks risk domain.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SC-13 (Cryptographic Protection) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

liboqs is a C-language cryptographic library that provides implementations of post-quantum cryptography algorithms. liboqs prior to version 0.13.0 supports the HQC algorithm, an algorithm with a theoretical design flaw which leads to large numbers of malformed ciphertexts sharing the same…

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implicit rejection value. Currently, no concrete attack on the algorithm is known. However, prospective users of HQC must take extra care when using the algorithm in protocols involving key derivation. In particular, HQC does not provide the same security guarantees as Kyber or ML-KEM. There is currently no patch for the HQC flaw available in liboqs, so HQC is disabled by default in liboqs starting from version 0.13.0. OQS will update its implementation after the HQC team releases an updated algorithm specification.

CWE(s)

AI Security AnalysisAI

AI Category
Other Platforms
Risk Domain
Protocol-Specific Risks
OWASP Top 10 for LLMs 2025
None mapped
Classification Reason
Matched keywords: ml

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1557 Adversary-in-the-Middle Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to position themselves between two or more networked devices using an adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) technique to support follow-on behaviors such as [Network Sniffing](https://attack.
T1040 Network Sniffing Credential Access
Adversaries may passively sniff network traffic to capture information about an environment, including authentication material passed over the network.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-31510Same product: Openquantumsafe Liboqs
CVE-2024-54137Same product: Openquantumsafe Liboqs
CVE-2024-36405Same product: Openquantumsafe Liboqs
CVE-2026-46344Same product: Openquantumsafe Liboqs
CVE-2025-52473Same product: Openquantumsafe Liboqs
CVE-2026-44518Same product: Openquantumsafe Liboqs
CVE-2023-40696Shared CWE-327
CVE-2024-4765Shared CWE-327
CVE-2026-6412Shared CWE-327
CVE-2023-23040Shared CWE-327

Affected Assets

openquantumsafe
liboqs
≤ 0.13.0

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 6 hardening rules · 6 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SC-13 requires selection and implementation of specific cryptography types, directly stopping use of broken algorithms.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.DS-01 partial match
prevents

PR.DS-01 promotes encryption for data-at-rest but never requires strong algorithms, leaving CWE-327 fully possible; the weakness is also far broader than data-at-rest so one narrow control removes none of its total risk.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

Mandating approved algorithms, cipher strength and usage standards directly stops the selection of broken or weak cryptographic primitives that attackers can exploit.

prevents

The explicit call-out of cryptography-related legal constraints (import/export, key escrow, digital-signature validity) reduces the likelihood that an organization will adopt broken or non-compliant cryptographic algorithms that violate those rules.

prevents

Access to current specialist guidance and early vulnerability alerts enables timely replacement of broken or risky cryptographic algorithms with stronger alternatives.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
  • V-248524 OL 8 must implement NIST FIPS-validated cryptography for the following: To provision digital signatures, to generate cryptographic hashes, and to protect data requiring data-at-rest protections in accordance with applicable federal laws, Executive Orders, directives, policies, regulations, and standards. prevents CWE-327
Windows 10 (1 rule)
  • V-220937 The system must be configured to prevent the storage of the LAN Manager hash of passwords. prevents CWE-327
Windows 11 (1 rule)
  • V-253461 The system must be configured to prevent the storage of the LAN Manager hash of passwords. prevents CWE-327
Windows Server 2016 (1 rule)
  • V-225053 Windows Server 2016 must be configured to prevent the storage of the LAN Manager hash of passwords. prevents CWE-327
Windows Server 2019 (1 rule)
  • V-205654 Windows Server 2019 must be configured to prevent the storage of the LAN Manager hash of passwords. prevents CWE-327
Windows Server 2022 (1 rule)
  • V-254474 Windows Server 2022 must be configured to prevent the storage of the LAN Manager hash of passwords. prevents CWE-327

References