CVE-2026-22696: dcap-qvl has Missing Verification for QE Identity

Should you act?

Critical and remotely reachable

No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• Not in CISA KEV, but CISA’s SSVC assessment records a public proof-of-concept, so attack code exists.
• EPSS 0.2%, percentile 10: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.2% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 10% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes dcap-qvl (crates.io (Rust)) < 0.3.9, fixed in 0.3.9; @phala/dcap-qvl (npm) <= 0.3.0, fixed in 0.3.9; @phala/dcap-qvl-web (npm) <= 0.3.3, no fixed version listed; @phala/dcap-qvl-node (npm) <= 0.3.3, no fixed version listed. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

dcap-qvl implements the quote verification logic for DCAP (Data Center Attestation Primitives). A vulnerability present in versions prior to 0.3.9 involves a critical gap in the cryptographic verification process within the dcap-qvl. The library fetches QE Identity collateral (including qeidentity, qeidentitysignature, and qeidentityissuerchain) from the PCCS. However, it skips to verify the QE Identity signature against its certificate chain and does not enforce policy constraints on the QE Report. An attacker can forge the QE Identity data to whitelist a malicious or non-Intel Quoting Enclave. This allows the attacker to forge the QE and sign untrusted quotes that the verifier will accept as valid. Effectively, this bypasses the entire remote attestation security model, as the verifier can no longer trust the entity responsible for signing the quotes. All deployments utilizing the dcap-qvl library for SGX or TDX quote verification are affected. The vulnerability has been patched in dcap-qvl version 0.3.9. The fix implements the missing cryptographic verification for the QE Identity signature and enforces the required checks for MRSIGNER, ISVPRODID, and ISVSVN against the QE Report. Users of the @phala/dcap-qvl-node and @phala/dcap-qvl-web packages should switch to the pure JavaScript implementation, @phala/dcap-qvl. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability. Users must upgrade to the patched version to ensure that QE Identity collateral is properly verified.

From the GitHub advisory

Impact This vulnerability involves a critical gap in the cryptographic verification process within the dcap-qvl.

The library fetches QE Identity collateral (including qeidentity, qeidentitysignature, and qeidentityissuerchain) from the PCCS. However, it skips to verify the QE Identity signature against its certificate chain and does not enforce policy constraints on the QE Report.

Consequences An attacker can forge the QE Identity data to whitelist a malicious or non-Intel Quoting Enclave. This allows the attacker to forge the QE and sign untrusted quotes that the verifier will accept as valid. Effectively, this bypasses the entire remote attestation security model, as the verifier can no longer trust the entity responsible for signing the quotes.

Who is impacted All deployments utilizing the dcap-qvl library for SGX or TDX quote verification are affected.

Patches The vulnerability has been patched in dcap-qvl version 0.3.9. The fix implements the missing cryptographic verification for the QE Identity signature and enforces the required checks for MRSIGNER, ISVPRODID, and ISVSVN against the QE Report.

Weakness type: CWE-347, CWE-295.

Product: dcap-qvl (crates.io (Rust)) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2026-01-26

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Attack requirements: none
• Privileges required: none (no login)
• User interaction: none

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation poc, automatable yes, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.21% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 10.

Timeline

• 2026-01-26 — CVE record published by GitHub_M
• 2026-01-26 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-796p-j2gh-9m2q published (critical)
• 2026-01-27 — CVE record last updated

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-796p-j2gh-9m2q github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2026-22696 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2026-22696 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. github.com github.com

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