In Bouncy Castle JCE Provider the DSA key pair generator generates a weak private key if used with default values
In the Bouncy Castle JCE Provider version 1.55 and earlier the DSA key pair generator generates a weak private key if used with default values. If the JCA key pair generator is not explicitly initialised with DSA parameters, 1.55 and earlier generates a private value assuming a 1024 bit key size. In earlier releases this can be dealt with by explicitly passing parameters to the key pair generator.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk14 | < 1.56 | 1.56 |
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15 | < 1.56 | 1.56 |
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15on | < 1.56 | 1.56 |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-1000343
- https://github.com/bcgit/bc-java/commit/50a53068c094d6cff37659da33c9b4505becd389#diff-5578e61500abb2b87b300d3114bdfd7d
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2669
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2927
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rrvx-pwf8-p59p
- https://github.com/bcgit/bc-java
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/708d94141126eac03011144a971a6411fcac16d9c248d1d535a39451@%3Csolr-user.lucene.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/07/msg00009.html
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20181127-0004
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/3727-1
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
-- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk14, org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15, org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15on- Disclosed
- 17.10.2018
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 12:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-rrvx-pwf8-p59p - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk14
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 26
- First → latest
- 10.2018 04.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 1
- High 10
- Medium 14
- Low 1
Disclosures per year
- 2018: 12
- 2019: 1
- 2020: 0
- 2021: 3
- 2022: 0
- 2023: 2
- 2024: 4
- 2025: 1
- 2026: 3
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In Bouncy Castle JCE Provider the DSA key pair generator generates a weak private key if used with default values this entry
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