bitcoinj has a ScriptExecution P2PKH/P2WPKH Verification Bypass

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

7.5 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2026-44714: 0.27% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 19.26 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary ScriptExecution.correctlySpends() contains two fast-path verification bugs for standard P2PKH and native P2WPKH spends in core/src/main/java/org/bitcoinj/script/ScriptExecution.java. In both branches, bitcoinj verifies an attacker-controlled signature/public-key pair but fails to verify that the public key is the one committed to by the output being spent. As a result, any attacker keypair can satisfy bitcoinj's local verification for arbitrary P2PKH and P2WPKH outputs. This doesn't affect the SPV (simple payment verification) trust model, as this model follows PoW and doesn't verify input signatures at all. Details The issue is in the optimized branches of ScriptExecution.correctlySpends(...). In the P2PKH fast path at core/src/main/java/org/bitcoinj/script/ScriptExecution.java:1042, the code: - parses the attacker-supplied signature from scriptSig - parses the attacker-supplied public key from scriptSig - computes the sighash against the victim output's scriptPubKey -…

Published by the source

8 May 2026, 17:43 UTC

Last modified by the source

15 May 2026, 23:49 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 16:45 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-hfcf-v2f8-x9pc

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-44714

Advisory: bitcoinj has a ScriptExecution P2PKH/P2WPKH Verification Bypass
IDs: CVE-2026-44714, GHSA-hfcf-v2f8-x9pc
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-44714 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 16:45 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.5)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: org.bitcoinj:bitcoinj-core 0.17.1. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Maven org.bitcoinj:bitcoinj-core: affected >= 0.15, < 0.17.1; fixed in 0.17.1

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Maven org.bitcoinj:bitcoinj-core: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on org.bitcoinj:bitcoinj-core.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-hfcf-v2f8-x9pc (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-hfcf-v2f8-x9pc lists affected ranges: Maven org.bitcoinj:bitcoinj-core >=0.15 <0.17.1)

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