CVE-2026-6331: HMAC zero-length tag forgery in EVP_DigestVerifyFinal

Is it exploited?

Not on CISA's list. CISA has not added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as of 29 Oct 2026. If CISA adds it, this page shows it as known exploited.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

0.2%

EPSS score, percentile 8.7 of all scored records. A probability estimated by FIRST, not a report of exploitation.

How severe?

2.1 Low

CVSS v4.0 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

CISA has set no required action, because the vulnerability is not in KEV.

Advisories and patches (1)

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• 3.15.5 through 5.9.1

Versions by product

Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.29, as of 29 Oct 2026; FIRST EPSS, as of 29 Oct 2026; CVE List, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

What to do

Advisories and patches

• github.com (Patch)

This summary is based on the CVE record as of 29 Oct 2026. Check the vendor's advisory before you act: affected versions and fixes can change.

Affected products and versions

As listed in the CVE record.

Versions not listed are: unaffected.

Source: CVE List, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

About this vulnerability

HMAC zero-length tag forgery in EVP_DigestVerifyFinal, where a zero-length tag could be accepted as valid during HMAC verification. In the OpenSSL-compatibility HMAC verify path the supplied signature length was only checked as not exceeding the MAC length, so a zero-length or otherwise truncated tag could pass verification. The fix requires the supplied tag length to exactly equal the MAC length…

Summary: CVE record, as of 29 Oct 2026.

• CISA has not added CVE-2026-6331 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, as of 29 Oct 2026.
• The CVE record was published on 25 Jun 2026.
• The CVE record carries a CVSS v4.0 base score of 2.1 (Low), given by its CNA.
• FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.2% (percentile 8.7), as of 29 Oct 2026. EPSS is a statistical estimate, not a report of exploitation.
• CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact partial.
• The credits in the CVE record name Anthropic (Claude) as finder.

Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.29, as of 29 Oct 2026; CVE List, as of 29 Oct 2026; FIRST EPSS, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

Description

HMAC zero-length tag forgery in EVP_DigestVerifyFinal

HMAC zero-length tag forgery in EVP_DigestVerifyFinal, where a zero-length tag could be accepted as valid during HMAC verification. In the OpenSSL-compatibility HMAC verify path the supplied signature length was only checked as not exceeding the MAC length, so a zero-length or otherwise truncated tag could pass verification. The fix requires the supplied tag length to exactly equal the MAC length and rejects a zero-length MAC, so a forged short or empty tag is no longer accepted.

Source: CVE List, as of 29 Oct 2026. About the data.

Timeline