● High · CVSS 7.1

How to Fix CVE-2026-28402: Improper validation of integrity check value in core-rs-albatross

Q: What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-28402?

7.1 (High). Vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H`.

Q: Where is the official advisory for CVE-2026-28402?

The vendor advisory is at [https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/security/advisories/GHSA-7wh6-rmxx-ww47](https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/security/advisories/GHSA-7wh6-rmxx-ww47). The NVD record is at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28402.

By Sai Kiran Pandrala. Last verified: 2026-05-25.

CVE-2026-28402 is a improper validation of integrity check value in nimiq core-rs-albatross. The fix is to apply the vendor patch noted below.

⚡ At a glance


Severity	7.1 (High)
Actively exploited?	No public listing in CISA KEV
Affected	core-rs-albatross < 1.2.2
Fixed in	See vendor advisory
Type (CWE)	CWE-354: Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value

What is CVE-2026-28402?

nimiq/core-rs-albatross is a Rust implementation of the Nimiq Proof-of-Stake protocol based on the Albatross consensus algorithm. Prior to version 1.2.2, a malicious or compromised validator that is elected as proposer can publish a macro block proposal where header.body_root does not match the actual macro body hash. The proposal can pass proposal verification because the macro proposal verification path validates the header but does not validate the binding body_root == hash(body); later code expects this binding and may panic on mismatch, crashing validators. Note that the impact is only for validator nodes. The patch for this vulnerability is formally released as part of v1.2.2. The patch adds the corresponding body root verification in the proposal checks. No known workarounds are available. The CVSS base score is 7.1 (High), which puts this in the upper risk band and warrants a fast patch cycle. The official advisory is at https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/security/advisories/GHSA-7wh6-rmxx-ww47.

Am I affected?

Check the version of core-rs-albatross you are running and compare it against the Affected row above (core-rs-albatross < 1.2.2). If your build sits inside the affected range, you must patch.

Run the version check that fits your platform:


# Linux package check
dpkg -s core-rs-albatross 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q core-rs-albatross 2>/dev/null
command -v core-rs-albatross >/dev/null && core-rs-albatross --version 2>/dev/null


# Windows (PowerShell)
Get-Package -Name "*core-rs-albatross*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Name, Version
winget list --name "core-rs-albatross" 2>$null

How to fix CVE-2026-28402

Upgrade core-rs-albatross to a patched build: See vendor advisory. The vendor advisory is the source of truth for the exact fixed version.

Ubuntu / Debian


sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade core-rs-albatross
dpkg -s core-rs-albatross | grep -i ^Version

RHEL / CentOS / Rocky / AlmaLinux


sudo dnf upgrade --refresh core-rs-albatross -y
# or for older releases:
sudo yum update core-rs-albatross -y
rpm -q core-rs-albatross

SUSE / openSUSE


sudo zypper refresh
sudo zypper update core-rs-albatross
rpm -q core-rs-albatross

Node.js / npm


# Update the affected package in your project
npm install core-rs-albatross@latest
npm ls core-rs-albatross
npm audit fix

Complete PowerShell remediation script (Windows)


# Fix script for CVE-2026-28402 affecting core-rs-albatross
# Run as administrator. Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
$LogPath  = "C:\Logs\CVE-2026-28402-fix-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd-HHmmss).log"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force (Split-Path $LogPath) | Out-Null
Start-Transcript -Path $LogPath -Append

try {
    Write-Host "[1/4] Detect installed version"
    $pkg = Get-Package -Name "*core-rs-albatross*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($pkg) { $pkg | Format-Table Name, Version }
    else { Write-Host "Not detected via Get-Package; try winget list" }

    Write-Host "[2/4] Backup configuration"
    $backup = "C:\Backup\core-rs-albatross-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd)"
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $backup | Out-Null
    Get-ChildItem "C:\ProgramData\core-rs-albatross" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
        Copy-Item -Destination $backup -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

    Write-Host "[3/4] Apply the upgrade to See vendor advisory"
    winget upgrade --name "core-rs-albatross" --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements
    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
        # Fallback: pull latest via OS update channel
        Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force -SkipPublisherCheck -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate
        Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -IgnoreReboot
    }

    Write-Host "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
    winget list --name "core-rs-albatross"
    Write-Host "Patch applied. Reboot if prompted."
    exit 0
} catch {
    Write-Error "Patch failed: $_"
    exit 1
} finally {
    Stop-Transcript
}

Complete Bash remediation script (Linux)


#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Fix script for CVE-2026-28402 affecting core-rs-albatross
# Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

set -euo pipefail
LOG="/var/log/cve-2026-28402-fix-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).log"
exec > >(tee -a "$LOG") 2>&1

echo "[1/4] Detect installed version"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s core-rs-albatross 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version || echo "core-rs-albatross not installed via dpkg"
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q core-rs-albatross || echo "core-rs-albatross not installed via rpm"
fi

echo "[2/4] Backup configuration"
BACKUP="/root/backup-cve-2026-28402-$(date +%Y%m%d)"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP"
for d in /etc/core-rs-albatross /etc/core-rs-albatross.d /etc/core-rs-albatross.conf; do
    [ -e "$d" ] && cp -a "$d" "$BACKUP/" || true
done

echo "[3/4] Apply the upgrade (target: See vendor advisory)"
if command -v apt-get >/dev/null; then
    apt-get update
    apt-get install --only-upgrade -y core-rs-albatross
elif command -v dnf >/dev/null; then
    dnf upgrade --refresh -y core-rs-albatross
elif command -v yum >/dev/null; then
    yum update -y core-rs-albatross
elif command -v zypper >/dev/null; then
    zypper --non-interactive update core-rs-albatross
fi

echo "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s core-rs-albatross 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q core-rs-albatross
fi
echo "Done. Restart any service that loaded the old library."

If you can't patch immediately

Apply at least one of the following inline controls until you can deploy the patched build. None replace the upgrade.

Restrict exposure with nftables (Linux)


# Allow only trusted CIDR to reach the affected service ports
sudo nft add table inet filter 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add chain inet filter input { type filter hook input priority 0 ; }' 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add rule inet filter input tcp dport {80, 443} ip saddr != 10.0.0.0/8 drop'
sudo nft list ruleset

Block at the host firewall (Windows)


New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-28402" -Direction Inbound -Action Block -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 80,443 -RemoteAddress Any -Enabled True
Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-28402"

Disable the affected service (Linux)


sudo systemctl stop core-rs-albatross 2>/dev/null || true
sudo systemctl disable core-rs-albatross 2>/dev/null || true

If the vendor advisory lists an official workaround, prefer that wording verbatim. If no workaround is published, the only safe remediation is the patch.

How to verify the fix worked

After upgrading, confirm the installed version matches the patched build and that no old library is still loaded by a long-running process.


# Linux
dpkg -s core-rs-albatross 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q core-rs-albatross 2>/dev/null || true
# Pid map check for old library handles
sudo lsof +c0 2>/dev/null | grep -i "DEL.*lib" || true


# Windows
Get-Package -Name "*core-rs-albatross*" | Select-Object Name, Version
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5

Expected: the reported version is at or above See vendor advisory. Restart the affected service (systemctl restart <service> on Linux, or restart the Windows service) so it loads the patched binary.

Frequently asked questions

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Is CVE-2026-28402 actively exploited?

There is no public confirmation of exploitation in the wild listed in CISA KEV at the time of this writing. Patch anyway. Public exploits commonly follow disclosure within weeks.

Do I need to reboot after patching CVE-2026-28402?

For kernel and OS-level updates, yes. For most userland packages a systemctl restart <service> is enough on Linux, and restarting the Windows service or app on Windows. Any process that loaded the old library keeps using it until restarted.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-28402?

7.1 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H.

Where is the official advisory for CVE-2026-28402?

The vendor advisory is at https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/security/advisories/GHSA-7wh6-rmxx-ww47. The NVD record is at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28402.

References

Official vendor advisory: https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/security/advisories/GHSA-7wh6-rmxx-ww47
NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-28402
CISA KEV catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
Additional reference: https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/pull/3623
Additional reference: https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/commit/6454c26d966858c5520f55739a30b94c17656c85
Additional reference: https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/releases/tag/v1.2.2

*Written by Sai Kiran Pandrala. Assembled from the official vendor advisory, NVD record, and CISA KEV listing on 2026-05-25. Always confirm against the vendor's advisory before applying changes in production.*