wolfEngine version 1.4.1 is officially here. Built as an OpenSSL engine backed by the wolfCrypt FIPS 140-3 cryptographic module, wolfEngine brings FIPS-validated cryptography to legacy OpenSSL 1.0.2 and 1.1.1 applications without requiring application code changes. This update delivers critical security fixes for two TLS AEAD nonce-reuse vulnerabilities, along with FIPS enhancements and a comprehensive hardening pass.

Interoperability and FIPS Enhancements

• AES-CTR no longer reinitializes after keying, preserving proper state across operations.

• ECC and MAC modules now interoperate smoothly with OpenSSL 1.0.2r.

• Replaced AES_BLOCK_SIZE with WC_AES_BLOCK_SIZE across all source files.

• Integrated mandatory initialization logic required by the current wolfSSL-FIPS module.

• Added simplified build scripts and resolved path issues for non-standard install locations.

Security Hardening
The 1.4.1 release includes a thorough code cleanup to harden the engine against edge-case failures. Control handlers for AES-ECB, AES-CBC, and DES3-CBC now have corrected NULL checks, while key object cleanup logic for RSA, DH, and ASN.1 has been hardened against assignment errors. ASN.1 parsing for ECDSA signatures and HMAC enforces strict length bounds, and TLS record lengths for AES-CBC-HMAC are validated against underflow. Additionally, private-key BIGNUMs, buffered GCM plaintext, and derived keys are zeroized immediately after use. Pre-set DH private keys longer than the prime are also rejected during key generation, closing a heap write vulnerability.

Security Fixes

CVE-2026-81020, AES-GCM Nonce Reuse on TLS 1.2 and DTLS 1.2
Severity, High. Affects wolfEngine 0.9.0 through 1.4.0.
The 8-byte explicit nonce was generated once and failed to increment per record. Because every AES-GCM record within a connection reused the same key and nonce pair, both confidentiality and integrity were compromised. TLS 1.3 and non-TLS uses are unaffected. This impacts wolfEngine versions 0.9.0 through 1.4.0 in both FIPS and non-FIPS builds.

CVE-2026-81341, AES-CCM Nonce Reuse on TLS 1.2 and DTLS 1.2
Severity, Medium. Affects wolfEngine 0.9.0 through 1.4.0.
The explicit nonce was pulled from the record input buffer instead of the TLS sequence number, causing static nonce reuse across records. Exposure is reduced because AES-CCM cipher suites require explicit opt-in. TLS 1.3 and non-TLS modes remain unaffected. This impacts versions 0.9.0 through 1.4.0.

Download and Upgrading
Anyone using TLS 1.2 or DTLS 1.2 with AES-GCM or AES-CCM through wolfEngine should update to 1.4.1 immediately.

Grab the latest release on GitHub at https://github.com/wolfSSL/wolfEngine and review the included ChangeLog for full release notes.

For general questions, FIPS 140-3 details, or commercial licensing, contact facts@wolfssl.com. For technical support, reach out to support@wolfssl.com.

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