Live › vulnerability › CVE-2026-63410
The secp256k1-native Ruby gem's constant-time scalar multiplication can be compiled by some GCC versions into secret-dependent branches, so timing measurements can leak secret key or nonce bits. An attacker who can observe timing of repeated multiplications with a secret scalar may statistically recover scalar bits.
Summary written from the sources below. Check the originals before acting.
First seen by InfraStack 2026-10-30 23:26 UTC. All times on this page are UTC.
Only applications that use the native build of secp256k1-native and multiply a secret private key or nonce where an attacker can observe timing. The pure-Ruby path is not affected by this flaw according to the description. Whether the advisory's pre-0.18.0 guidance also covers older, different constant-time issues remains unresolved in the sources.
No product ranges from the sources yet.
gem list secp256k1-native; versions before 0.18.0 are in scope per the descriptiongcc --version, since GCC 14.3.0, 15.1.0 and 15.2.0 reproduced the issuePoint#mul or scalar_multiply_ct where timing may be observablesecp256k1-native 0.18.0, which contains the verified fix per the descriptionEach row is the first time that source carried this signal. The analyst’s rows are its own findings.
secp256k1-native is a native C secp256k1 implementation for Ruby. In affected native builds, native constant-time scalar multiplication through Point#mul or scalar_multiply_ct can leak timing information about a secret scalar when compiled by a toolchain that reconstructs branchless selection into a branch. The Montgomery ladder uses uint256_select with an all-zeros or all-ones mask, but affected GCC builds at -O2 recover the original condition and emit secret-dependent je or jne jumps whose timing correlates with scalar bits. This defeats the assumption behind the 0.17.0 jp_add_internal infinity-branch fix. A consumer must multiply a secret private key or nonce in a context where an attacker can observe timing; repeated measurements can statistically recover scalar bits. The defect is in the compiled binary, so source review or ctgrind on a non-reconstructing toolchain may miss it. GCC 14.3.0, 15.1.0, and 15.2.0 reproduced the branch reconstruction, and extconf.rb appends -O2. Tested GCC versions through 12.4.0 used bitwise operations and GCC 13.3.0 used constant-time cmov; the pure-Ruby path is not affected by this flaw and separately makes no constant-time claim. GCC 16 and clang were untested, and point releases, targets, and flag combinations were not exhaustively bisected. Earlier pre-0.17.0 versions had different constant-time issues rather than this introduced select idiom. Version 0.18.0 contains the verified fix. The advisory's broad pre-0.18.0 guidance also covers earlier, different constant-time issues; whether this CVE groups those issues or only the select idiom introduced in 0.17.0 remains unresolved.
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