Nimiq: Panic in TrieProof::verify via child_index unwrap on equal-length keys (CVE-2026-54541) | HOL Guard CVE

Low severityCVE-2026-54541GHSA-46WQ-28CX-MHW4

Nimiq: Panic in TrieProof::verify via child_index unwrap on equal-length keys

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-54541 records a Low severity vulnerability in Nimiq: Panic in TrieProof::verify via child_index unwrap on equal-length keys. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps nimiq/core-rs-albatross (generic), nimiq-primitives (rust). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Sep 14, 2026Updated Sep 14, 2026Source checked Sep 14, 2026First seen by HOL Jul 16, 2026Material review Sep 14, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: Low
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 2 mapped packages or products
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

A CVSS score is not reported in the current record. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps nimiq/core-rs-albatross (generic), nimiq-primitives (rust). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
nimiq/core-rs-albatrossgeneric	< 1.6.0	Not reported
nimiq-primitivesrust	<1.6.0	1.6.0

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for nimiq/core-rs-albatross, nimiq-primitives.
Review the reported fix. Update nimiq-primitives to 1.6.0 if you use the affected versions. Test the change in a non-production environment first.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Sep 14, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Sep 14, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Jul 16, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

Nimiq is a Rust implementation of the Nimiq Proof-of-Stake protocol based on the Albatross consensus algorithm. Prior to 1.6.0, a malicious state-sync peer can crash a syncing node by sending a crafted TrieChunk proof containing two TrieProofNode values with identical keys. TrieProof::verify calls TrieProofNode::child_index in primitives/src/trie/trie_proof_node.rs, where is_prefix_of accepts equal keys and KeyNibbles::get is called at the key length, returns None, and is unconditionally unwrapped. Untrusted ResponseChunk data reaches commit_chunks, put_chunk, and proof.verify before cryptographic proof validation, so the attacker does not need a valid proof. Exploitation requires the attacker to be selected as the victim's sync peer during state sync, and the resulting panic is transient because the node restarts and resynchronizes. This issue is fixed in version 1.6.0.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.