RUSTSEC-2026-0231
Relay authentication challenges can exhaust memory
The SDK forwarded every NIP-42 AUTH challenge received from a relay through an
unbounded command queue. Challenge handling can wait for an asynchronous signer or
user interaction, so receiving challenges was substantially faster than completing
the corresponding authentication work.
A malicious relay could continuously send new challenges without authenticating or delivering valid events. Every value remained queued, causing memory use and pending signer operations to grow without a fixed limit until the client became unavailable. The issue does not allow the relay to forge a signature or learn the client's private key.
The SDK now coalesces pending challenges through a latest-value channel. NIP-42 makes an earlier challenge invalid when the relay sends a new one, so replacing pending work preserves the only challenge that can still be answered while keeping memory use bounded.
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
- None
- Availability
- High
What each source reports
OSV Score used
Relay authentication challenges can exhaust memory
The SDK forwarded every NIP-42 AUTH challenge received from a relay through an
unbounded command queue. Challenge handling can wait for an asynchronous signer or
user interaction, so receiving challenges was substantially faster than completing
the corresponding authentication work.
A malicious relay could continuously send new challenges without authenticating or delivering valid events. Every value remained queued, causing memory use and pending signer operations to grow without a fixed limit until the client became unavailable. The issue does not allow the relay to forge a signature or learn the client's private key.
The SDK now coalesces pending challenges through a latest-value channel. NIP-42 makes an earlier challenge invalid when the relay sends a new one, so replacing pending work preserves the only challenge that can still be answered while keeping memory use bounded.
- Record
RUSTSEC-2026-0231- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
nostr-relay-poolcrates.io |
0.0.0-0 up to 0.44.3 | 0.44.3 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
RUSTSEC-2026-0231 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in nostr-relay-pool, published August 1, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. Fixed in nostr-relay-pool 0.44.3.