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CVE-2025-29780


Post-Quantum Secure Feldman's Verifiable Secret Sharing provides a Python implementation of Feldman's Verifiable Secret Sharing (VSS) scheme. In versions 0.8.0b2 and prior, the `feldman_vss` library contains timing side-channel vulnerabilities in its matrix operations, specifically within the `_find_secure_pivot` function and potentially other parts of `_secure_matrix_solve`. These vulnerabilities are due to Python's execution model, which does not guarantee constant-time execution. An attacker with the ability to measure the execution time of these functions (e.g., through repeated calls with carefully crafted inputs) could potentially recover secret information used in the Verifiable Secret Sharing (VSS) scheme. The `_find_secure_pivot` function, used during Gaussian elimination in `_secure_matrix_solve`, attempts to find a non-zero pivot element. However, the conditional statement `if matrix[row][col] != 0 and row_random < min_value:` has execution time that depends on the value of `matrix[row][col]`. This timing difference can be exploited by an attacker. The `constant_time_compare` function in this file also does not provide a constant-time guarantee. The Python implementation of matrix operations in the _find_secure_pivot and _secure_matrix_solve functions cannot guarantee constant-time execution, potentially leaking information about secret polynomial coefficients. An attacker with the ability to make precise timing measurements of these operations could potentially extract secret information through statistical analysis of execution times, though practical exploitation would require significant expertise and controlled execution environments. Successful exploitation of these timing side-channels could allow an attacker to recover secret keys or other sensitive information protected by the VSS scheme. This could lead to a complete compromise of the shared secret. As of time of publication, no patched versions of Post-Quantum Secure Feldman's Verifiable Secret Sharing exist, but other mitigations are available. As acknowledged in the library's documentation, these vulnerabilities cannot be adequately addressed in pure Python. In the short term, consider using this library only in environments where timing measurements by attackers are infeasible. In the medium term, implement your own wrappers around critical operations using constant-time libraries in languages like Rust, Go, or C. In the long term, wait for the planned Rust implementation mentioned in the library documentation that will properly address these issues.


Security Impact Summary

CVE-2025-29780 is a security vulnerability that .

Historical Context

Reported in 2025, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.


Published

2025-03-14T18:15:32.503

Last Modified

2026-04-15T00:35:42.020

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

-

Weaknesses
  • Type: Secondary
    CWE-203
    CWE-208
    CWE-385

Affected Vendors & Products

-


References

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For affected software, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.