Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HSummary
CVE-2026-33891 is a high-severity Infinite Loop (CWE-835) vulnerability in Digitalbazaar Forge. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Application or System Exploitation (T1499.004); ranked at the 45th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-33891 is a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability in the node-forge library, a JavaScript implementation of Transport Layer Security also known as Forge. Versions prior to 1.4.0 are affected due to an infinite loop in the BigInteger.modInverse() function, inherited from the bundled jsbn library. When modInverse() receives a zero value as input, the internal Extended Euclidean Algorithm fails to reach its exit condition, causing the process to hang indefinitely and consume 100% CPU. The vulnerability is rated with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) and maps to CWE-835 (Infinite Loop).
Attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely over the network with low complexity and no privileges or user interaction required. By supplying a zero value to the modInverse() function in applications using vulnerable node-forge versions, an unauthenticated attacker can trigger the infinite loop, leading to complete resource exhaustion and denial of service on the targeted process or server.
The node-forge security advisory (GHSA-5m6q-g25r-mvwx) and the patching commit (9bb8d67b99d17e4ebb5fd7596cd699e11f25d023) confirm that upgrading to version 1.4.0 resolves the issue by fixing the loop condition in the Extended Euclidean Algorithm implementation. Security practitioners should audit dependencies for node-forge <1.4.0 and apply the update promptly, especially in TLS-handling Node.js applications.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-16833
Vulnerability Data
Forge (also called `node-forge`) is a native implementation of Transport Layer Security in JavaScript. Prior to version 1.4.0, a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability exists in the node-forge library due to an infinite loop in the BigInteger.modInverse() function (inherited from…
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the bundled jsbn library). When modInverse() is called with a zero value as input, the internal Extended Euclidean Algorithm enters an unreachable exit condition, causing the process to hang indefinitely and consume 100% CPU. Version 1.4.0 patches the issue.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V17.3.2V4.3.1
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation can discover unreachable loop exit conditions through static analysis, fuzzing, or execution tracing.
Input validation directly stops untrusted values from reaching loop conditions without bounds or sanity checks.
Flaw remediation processes identify and correct infinite-loop defects reported from testing or operations.
Requiring documented development processes and secure coding standards reduces introduction of loops whose termination conditions are unreachable.
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.
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.
Security testing can uncover infinite-loop conditions before release.
Secure development life cycle mandates practices that can detect and prevent infinite-loop defects.
Application security requirements can specify loop-termination rules, indirectly reducing the weakness.
Secure coding standards directly address loop termination and prevent infinite loops.
Secure architecture principles encourage designs that avoid unreachable exit conditions.
Change management can require review of loop logic when code is modified.