On DTLS server startup, dtls_server_connection:initial_hello/3 initializes previous_cookie_secret to the empty binary (<<>>) instead of a random value. Because HMAC with an empty key is deterministic, anyone who observes the plaintext ClientHello can compute dtls_handshake:cookie(<<>>, IP, Port, Hello) and forge a valid DTLS cookie before the first rotation of the cookie secret. The DTLS cookie (RFC 6347 §4.2.1) is a denial-of-service mitigation that prevents spoofed source IPs from forcing the server to allocate state and perform expensive cryptographic operations; it is not an authentication mechanism. During the window from server startup until the first secret rotation (0 to 15 seconds), an attacker who can observe the plaintext ClientHello can bypass the source address verification, enabling DTLS handshake amplification with spoofed source addresses.
This vulnerability is associated with program file lib/ssl/src/dtls_server_connection.erl and program routine dtls_server_connection:initial_hello/3.
This issue affects OTP from OTP 20.0 before 29.0.3, 28.5.0.3 and 27.3.4.14 corresponding to ssl from 8.2 before 11.7.3, 11.6.0.3 and 11.2.12.10.
Analysis
Analysis and contextual insights are available on OpenCVE Cloud.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
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| Erlang | OTP | unaffected |
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| Erlang | OTP | unaffected |
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No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.
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Tracking
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Thu, 02 Jul 2026 18:30:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Metrics |
ssvc
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Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:45:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Use of Default Cryptographic Key vulnerability in Erlang/OTP ssl (DTLS server) allows predictable DTLS cookie computation during the startup window, enabling source address verification bypass. On DTLS server startup, dtls_server_connection:initial_hello/3 initializes previous_cookie_secret to the empty binary (<<>>) instead of a random value. Because HMAC with an empty key is deterministic, anyone who observes the plaintext ClientHello can compute dtls_handshake:cookie(<<>>, IP, Port, Hello) and forge a valid DTLS cookie before the first rotation of the cookie secret. The DTLS cookie (RFC 6347 §4.2.1) is a denial-of-service mitigation that prevents spoofed source IPs from forcing the server to allocate state and perform expensive cryptographic operations; it is not an authentication mechanism. During the window from server startup until the first secret rotation (0 to 15 seconds), an attacker who can observe the plaintext ClientHello can bypass the source address verification, enabling DTLS handshake amplification with spoofed source addresses. This vulnerability is associated with program file lib/ssl/src/dtls_server_connection.erl and program routine dtls_server_connection:initial_hello/3. This issue affects OTP from OTP 20.0 before 29.0.3, 28.5.0.3 and 27.3.4.14 corresponding to ssl from 8.2 before 11.7.3, 11.6.0.3 and 11.2.12.10. | |
| Title | DTLS server cookie bypass during startup window due to empty initial cookie secret | |
| First Time appeared |
Erlang
Erlang erlang\/otp |
|
| Weaknesses | CWE-1394 | |
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:a:erlang:erlang\/otp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Erlang
Erlang erlang\/otp |
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| References |
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| Metrics |
cvssV4_0
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MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: EEF
Published:
Updated: 2026-07-02T17:28:43.784Z
Reserved: 2026-06-16T10:47:13.915Z
Link: CVE-2026-54887
Vulnrichment
Updated: 2026-07-02T17:28:40.366Z
NVD
No data.
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
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