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EUVD-2026-196594

fkie_cve-2024-48930

secp256k1-node is a Node.js binding for an Optimized C library for EC operations on curve secp256k1. In `elliptic`-based version, `loadUncompressedPublicKey` has a check that the public key is on the curve. Prior to versions 5.0.1, 4.0.4, and 3.8.1, however, `loadCompressedPublicKey` is missing that check. That allows the attacker to use public keys on low-cardinality curves to extract enough information to fully restore the private key from as little as 11 ECDH sessions, and very cheaply on compute power. Other operations on public keys are also affected, including e.g. `publicKeyVerify()` incorrectly returning `true` on those invalid keys, and e.g. `publicKeyTweakMul()` also returning predictable outcomes allowing to restore the tweak. Versions 5.0.1, 4.0.4, and 3.8.1 contain a fix for the issue.

GHSA-584q-6j8j-r5pm — secp256k1-node allows private key extraction over ECDH

Affected: npm: secp256k1

### Summary

In `elliptic`-based version, `loadUncompressedPublicKey` has a check that the public key is on the curve: https://github.com/cryptocoinjs/secp256k1-node/blob/6d3474b81d073cc9c8cc8cfadb580c84f8df5248/lib/elliptic.js#L37-L39

`loadCompressedPublicKey` is, however, missing that check: https://github.com/cryptocoinjs/secp256k1-node/blob/6d3474b81d073cc9c8cc8cfadb580c84f8df5248/lib/elliptic.js#L17-L19

That allows the attacker to use public keys on low-cardinality curves to extract enough information to fully restore the private key from as little as 11 ECDH sessions, and very cheaply on compute power

Other operations on public keys are also affected, including e.g. `publicKeyVerify()` incorrectly returning `true` on those invalid keys, and e.g. `publicKeyTweakMul()` also returning predictable outcomes allowing to restore the tweak

### Details

The curve equation is `Y^2 = X^3 + 7`, and it restores `Y` from `X` in `loadCompressedPublicKey`, using `Y = sqrt(X^3 + 7)`, but when there are no valid `Y` values satisfying `Y^2 = X^3 + 7` for a given `X`, the same code calculates a solution for `-Y^2 = X^3 + 7`, and that solution also satisfies some other equation `Y^2 = X^3 + D`, where `D` is not equal to 7 and might be on a curve with factorizable cardinality, so `(X,Y)` might be a low-order point on that curve, lowering the number of possible ECDH output values to bruteforcable

Those output values correspond to remainders which can be then combined with Chinese remai…