CVE-2020-26263
RSA vulnerability in tslite-ng
tlslite-ng is an open source python library that implements SSL and TLS cryptographic protocols. In tlslite-ng before versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39, the code that performs decryption and padding check in RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 decryption is data dependant. In particular, the code has multiple ways in which it leaks information about the decrypted ciphertext. It aborts as soon as the plaintext doesn't start with 0x00, 0x02. All TLS servers that enable RSA key exchange as well as applications that use the RSA decryption API directly are vulnerable. This is patched in versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39. Note: the patches depend on Python processing the individual bytes in side-channel free manner, this is known to not the case (see reference). As such, users that require side-channel resistance are recommended to use different TLS implementations, as stated in the security policy of tlslite-ng.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
7.5
RSA vulnerability in tslite-ng
tlslite-ng is an open source python library that implements SSL and TLS cryptographic protocols. In tlslite-ng before versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39, the code that performs decryption and padding check in RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 decryption is data dependant. In particular, the code has multiple ways in which it leaks information about the decrypted ciphertext. It aborts as soon as the plaintext doesn't start with 0x00, 0x02. All TLS servers that enable RSA key exchange as well as applications that use the RSA decryption API directly are vulnerable. This is patched in versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39. Note: the patches depend on Python processing the individual bytes in side-channel free manner, this is known to not the case (see reference). As such, users that require side-channel resistance are recommended to use different TLS implementations, as stated in the security policy of tlslite-ng.
- Record
CVE-2020-26263- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-326
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-0221
7.5
tlslite-ng is an open source python library that implements SSL and TLS cryptographic protocols. In tlslite-ng before versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39, the code that performs decryption and padding check in RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 decryption is data dependant. In particular, the code has multiple ways in which it leaks information about the decrypted ciphertext. It aborts as soon as the plaintext doesn't start with 0x00, 0x02. All TLS servers that enable RSA key exchange as well as applications that use the RSA decryption API directly are vulnerable. This is patched in versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39. Note: the patches depend on Python processing the individual bytes in side-channel free manner, this is known to not the case (see reference). As such, users that require side-channel resistance are recommended to use different TLS implementations, as stated in the security policy of tlslite-ng.
- Record
EUVD-2020-0221- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-wvcv-832q-fjg7
8.7
RSA weakness in tslite-ng
Impact
The code that performs decryption and padding check in RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 decryption is data dependant. In particular, code in current (as of 0.8.0-alpha38) master https://github.com/tlsfuzzer/tlslite-ng/blob/0812ed60860fa61a6573b2c0e18771414958f46d/tlslite/utils/rsakey.py#L407-L441 and code in 0.7.5 branch https://github.com/tlsfuzzer/tlslite-ng/blob/acdde3161124d6ae37c506b3476aea9996d12e97/tlslite/utils/rsakey.py#L394-L425 has multiple ways in which it leaks information (for one, it aborts as soon as the plaintext doesn't start with 0x00, 0x02) about the decrypted ciphertext (both the bit length of the decrypted message as well as where the first unexpected byte lays).
All TLS servers that enable RSA key exchange as well as applications that use the RSA decryption API directly are vulnerable.
All previous versions of tlslite-ng are vulnerable.
Patches
The patches to fix it are proposed in https://github.com/tlsfuzzer/tlslite-ng/pull/438 https://github.com/tlsfuzzer/tlslite-ng/pull/439
Note: the patches depend on Python processing the individual bytes in side-channel free manner, this is known to not be the case: https://securitypitfalls.wordpress.com/2018/08/03/constant-time-compare-in-python/ As such, users that require side-channel resistance are recommended to use different TLS implementations, as stated in the security policy of tlslite-ng.
Workarounds
There is no way to workaround this issue.
References
https://securitypitfalls.wordpress.com/2018/08/03/constant-time-compare-in-python/
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory please open an issue in tlslite-ng.
- Record
GHSA-wvcv-832q-fjg7- CVSS 4.0
- 8.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-326
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
7.5
tlslite-ng is an open source python library that implements SSL and TLS cryptographic protocols. In tlslite-ng before versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39, the code that performs decryption and padding check in RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 decryption is data dependant. In particular, the code has multiple ways in which it leaks information about the decrypted ciphertext. It aborts as soon as the plaintext doesn't start with 0x00, 0x02. All TLS servers that enable RSA key exchange as well as applications that use the RSA decryption API directly are vulnerable. This is patched in versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39. Note: the patches depend on Python processing the individual bytes in side-channel free manner, this is known to not the case (see reference). As such, users that require side-channel resistance are recommended to use different TLS implementations, as stated in the security policy of tlslite-ng.
- Record
CVE-2020-26263- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - CVSS 2.0
- 5.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-326
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
7.5
tlslite-ng is an open source python library that implements SSL and TLS cryptographic protocols. In tlslite-ng before versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39, the code that performs decryption and padding check in RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 decryption is data dependant. In particular, the code has multiple ways in which it leaks information about the decrypted ciphertext. It aborts as soon as the plaintext doesn't start with 0x00, 0x02. All TLS servers that enable RSA key exchange as well as applications that use the RSA decryption API directly are vulnerable. This is patched in versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39. Note: the patches depend on Python processing the individual bytes in side-channel free manner, this is known to not the case (see reference). As such, users that require side-channel resistance are recommended to use different TLS implementations, as stated in the security policy of tlslite-ng.
- Record
CVE-2020-26263- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-wvcv-832q-fjg7
8.7
RSA weakness in tslite-ng
Impact
The code that performs decryption and padding check in RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 decryption is data dependant. In particular, code in current (as of 0.8.0-alpha38) master https://github.com/tlsfuzzer/tlslite-ng/blob/0812ed60860fa61a6573b2c0e18771414958f46d/tlslite/utils/rsakey.py#L407-L441 and code in 0.7.5 branch https://github.com/tlsfuzzer/tlslite-ng/blob/acdde3161124d6ae37c506b3476aea9996d12e97/tlslite/utils/rsakey.py#L394-L425 has multiple ways in which it leaks information (for one, it aborts as soon as the plaintext doesn't start with 0x00, 0x02) about the decrypted ciphertext (both the bit length of the decrypted message as well as where the first unexpected byte lays).
All TLS servers that enable RSA key exchange as well as applications that use the RSA decryption API directly are vulnerable.
All previous versions of tlslite-ng are vulnerable.
Patches
The patches to fix it are proposed in https://github.com/tlsfuzzer/tlslite-ng/pull/438 https://github.com/tlsfuzzer/tlslite-ng/pull/439
Note: the patches depend on Python processing the individual bytes in side-channel free manner, this is known to not be the case: https://securitypitfalls.wordpress.com/2018/08/03/constant-time-compare-in-python/ As such, users that require side-channel resistance are recommended to use different TLS implementations, as stated in the security policy of tlslite-ng.
Workarounds
There is no way to workaround this issue.
References
https://securitypitfalls.wordpress.com/2018/08/03/constant-time-compare-in-python/
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory please open an issue in tlslite-ng.
- Record
GHSA-wvcv-832q-fjg7- CVSS 4.0
- 8.7 High
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-326
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2020-26263
7.5
tlslite-ng is an open source python library that implements SSL and TLS cryptographic protocols. In tlslite-ng before versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39, the code that performs decryption and padding check in RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 decryption is data dependant. In particular, the code has multiple ways in which it leaks information about the decrypted ciphertext. It aborts as soon as the plaintext doesn't start with 0x00, 0x02. All TLS servers that enable RSA key exchange as well as applications that use the RSA decryption API directly are vulnerable. This is patched in versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39. Note: the patches depend on Python processing the individual bytes in side-channel free manner, this is known to not the case (see reference). As such, users that require side-channel resistance are recommended to use different TLS implementations, as stated in the security policy of tlslite-ng.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2020-26263- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVPYSEC-2020-143 No score
tlslite-ng is an open source python library that implements SSL and TLS cryptographic protocols. In tlslite-ng before versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39, the code that performs decryption and padding check in RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 decryption is data dependant. In particular, the code has multiple ways in which it leaks information about the decrypted ciphertext. It aborts as soon as the plaintext doesn't start with 0x00, 0x02. All TLS servers that enable RSA key exchange as well as applications that use the RSA decryption API directly are vulnerable. This is patched in versions 0.7.6 and 0.8.0-alpha39. Note: the patches depend on Python processing the individual bytes in side-channel free manner, this is known to not the case (see reference). As such, users that require side-channel resistance are recommended to use different TLS implementations, as stated in the security policy of tlslite-ng.
- Record
PYSEC-2020-143- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
tlslite-ngPyPI |
before 0.7.6 | 0.7.6 |
tlslite-ngPyPI |
before 0.7.6, plus listed versions 0.5.00.5.0-beta10.5.0-beta20.5.0-beta30.5.0-beta4 Show 27 moreShow less0.5.0-beta50.5.0-beta60.5.10.5.20.6.00.6.0-alpha10.6.0-alpha20.6.0-alpha30.6.0-alpha40.6.0-alpha50.6.0-beta10.7.00.7.0-alpha10.7.0-alpha20.7.0-alpha30.7.0-alpha40.7.0-alpha50.7.0-alpha60.7.0-alpha70.7.0-alpha80.7.0-alpha90.7.0-beta10.7.10.7.20.7.30.7.40.7.5 |
0.7.6 |
tlslite-ngPyPI |
before 0.7.6, plus listed versions 0.5.0-beta10.5.0-beta20.5.0-beta30.5.0-beta40.5.0-beta5 Show 27 moreShow less0.5.0-beta60.5.00.5.10.5.20.6.0-alpha10.6.0-alpha20.6.0-alpha30.6.0-alpha40.6.0-alpha50.6.0-beta10.6.00.7.0-alpha10.7.0-alpha20.7.0-alpha30.7.0-alpha40.7.0-alpha50.7.0-alpha60.7.0-alpha70.7.0-alpha80.7.0-alpha90.7.0-beta10.7.00.7.10.7.20.7.30.7.40.7.5 |
0.7.6 |
tlslite-ngUbuntu:16.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.5.1-1 |
None known |
tlslite-ngUbuntu:18.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.7.0-20.7.0-30.7.4-1 |
None known |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2020-26263 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Tlsfuzzer Tlslite-ng, published December 21, 2020. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.52%, the 74th percentile. Fixed in tlslite-ng 0.7.6.
References
github.com/tlsfuzzer/tlslite-ng/security/advisories/GHSA-wvcv-832q-fjg7
securitypitfalls.wordpress.com/2018/08/03/constant-time-compare-in-python
github.com/tlsfuzzer/tlslite-ng/pull/438
github.com/tlsfuzzer/tlslite-ng/pull/439
pypi.org/project/tlslite-ng
github.com/tlsfuzzer/tlslite-ng/commit/c28d6d387bba59d8bd5cb3ba15edc42edf54b368