CVE-2026-85783

High

Description

Crypt::Age versions before 0.004 for Perl allow CPU exhaustion via an unbounded number of recipient stanzas, each costing an X25519 scalar multiplication in unwrap_file_key. The header parser accepts any number of recipient stanzas, and unwrap_file_key tries every identity against every X25519 stanza. Each attempt runs a scalar multiplication, an HKDF and a ChaCha20-Poly1305 open. The header MAC cannot be checked first, because its key comes from the file key, which only a successful unwrap produces. Each stanza is 98 bytes of attacker-chosen header and buys one scalar multiplication per identity held, and the file is rejected only after every one of them has run. A caller reaches this through decrypt, decrypt_file or decrypt_filehandle whenever it decrypts a file it did not write.

SeverityHigh
CVSS7.5
Exploit probability—
ProductCrypt-age
PublishedOct 20, 2026
First seenOct 20, 2026

How to fix

Update
  • Crypt-Age0.004 or later

Affected products

ProductAffected versionsFixed in
Crypt-Agev < 0.0040.004

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