diff --git a/opendj-core/src/test/java/org/forgerock/opendj/ldap/BcFipsNativeLibrariesOffTestCase.java b/opendj-core/src/test/java/org/forgerock/opendj/ldap/BcFipsNativeLibrariesOffTestCase.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c88964c0c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/opendj-core/src/test/java/org/forgerock/opendj/ldap/BcFipsNativeLibrariesOffTestCase.java
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+/*
+ * The contents of this file are subject to the terms of the Common Development and
+ * Distribution License (the License). You may not use this file except in compliance with the
+ * License.
+ *
+ * You can obtain a copy of the License at legal/CDDLv1.0.txt. See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permission and limitations under the License.
+ *
+ * When distributing Covered Software, include this CDDL Header Notice in each file and include
+ * the License file at legal/CDDLv1.0.txt. If applicable, add the following below the CDDL
+ * Header, with the fields enclosed by brackets [] replaced by your own identifying
+ * information: "Portions copyright [year] [name of copyright owner]".
+ *
+ * Copyright 2026 3A Systems, LLC.
+ */
+package org.forgerock.opendj.ldap;
+
+import static org.testng.Assert.assertEquals;
+
+import org.testng.annotations.Test;
+
+/**
+ * Pins the test argLine flag that keeps bc-fips from seeding its DRBG from the CPU's RDSEED
+ * instruction, see issue #1161. {@link LDAPServer} generates its key pairs with bc-fips, and this
+ * module takes the argLine of the root pom as it is: the default one below JDK 17, the
+ * jdk17.options one from JDK 17 on.
+ */
+@SuppressWarnings("javadoc")
+public class BcFipsNativeLibrariesOffTestCase extends SdkTestCase {
+    @Test
+    public void testJvmRunsWithoutTheNativeLibraries() {
+        assertEquals(System.getProperty("org.bouncycastle.native.cpu_variant"), "java",
+                "the test argLine lost the bc-fips cpu_variant flag, see #1161");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/opendj-server-legacy/pom.xml b/opendj-server-legacy/pom.xml
index 81ba8ee273..dbb91d28db 100644
--- a/opendj-server-legacy/pom.xml
+++ b/opendj-server-legacy/pom.xml
@@ -1282,6 +1282,15 @@
                     <!-- Matched against the name of the test class, see org.opends.server.TestListener.onStart(). -->
                     <org.opends.test.trace.pattern>(org\.opends\.server\.replication\.service\..*)|(org\.opends\.server\.replication\.GenerationIdTest)|(org\.opends\.server\.types\.HostPortTest)|(org\.openidentityplatform\.opendj\.AliasTestCase)</org.opends.test.trace.pattern>
                   </systemPropertyVariables>
+                  <!--
+                    The argLine flag that keeps bc-fips off RDSEED (issue #1161) does not reach the JVMs
+                    the tests start from the built package: setup, and start-ds through ServerController,
+                    which keeps the environment of this fork and drops only OPENDJ_JAVA_ARGS and CLASSPATH.
+                    Every JVM reads JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS, so they pick the flag up from here.
+                  -->
+                  <environmentVariables>
+                    <JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS>-Dorg.bouncycastle.native.cpu_variant=java</JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS>
+                  </environmentVariables>
                   <argLine>@{argLine}</argLine>
 	          	  <reuseForks>false</reuseForks>
 	          	  <forkCount>1</forkCount>
diff --git a/opendj-server-legacy/src/test/java/org/opends/server/util/BcFipsNativeLibrariesOffTest.java b/opendj-server-legacy/src/test/java/org/opends/server/util/BcFipsNativeLibrariesOffTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b9e4a8e1ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/opendj-server-legacy/src/test/java/org/opends/server/util/BcFipsNativeLibrariesOffTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*
+ * The contents of this file are subject to the terms of the Common Development and
+ * Distribution License (the License). You may not use this file except in compliance with the
+ * License.
+ *
+ * You can obtain a copy of the License at legal/CDDLv1.0.txt. See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permission and limitations under the License.
+ *
+ * When distributing Covered Software, include this CDDL Header Notice in each file and include
+ * the License file at legal/CDDLv1.0.txt. If applicable, add the following below the CDDL
+ * Header, with the fields enclosed by brackets [] replaced by your own identifying
+ * information: "Portions copyright [year] [name of copyright owner]".
+ *
+ * Copyright 2026 3A Systems, LLC.
+ */
+package org.opends.server.util;
+
+import static org.testng.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.testng.Assert.assertNotNull;
+import static org.testng.Assert.assertTrue;
+
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
+import org.opends.server.DirectoryServerTestCase;
+import org.testng.annotations.Test;
+
+/**
+ * Pins the flag that keeps bc-fips from seeding its DRBG from the CPU's RDSEED instruction in the
+ * test JVMs and in the JVMs they start from the built package, see issue #1161.
+ */
+@SuppressWarnings("javadoc")
+public class BcFipsNativeLibrariesOffTest extends DirectoryServerTestCase
+{
+  private static final String FLAG = "-Dorg.bouncycastle.native.cpu_variant=java";
+
+  @Test
+  public void theTestJvmRunsWithoutTheNativeLibraries()
+  {
+    assertEquals(System.getProperty("org.bouncycastle.native.cpu_variant"), "java",
+        "the test JVM lost the bc-fips cpu_variant flag, see #1161");
+  }
+
+  /** setup, and start-ds through ServerController, inherit the environment of the failsafe fork. */
+  @Test
+  public void theJvmsStartedFromThePackageInheritTheFlag()
+  {
+    final String toolOptions = System.getenv("JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS");
+    assertNotNull(toolOptions, "the failsafe fork lost JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS, see #1161");
+    assertTrue(Arrays.asList(toolOptions.trim().split("\\s+")).contains(FLAG),
+        "JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS of the failsafe fork lost the bc-fips cpu_variant flag, see #1161: " + toolOptions);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 90321b5e1a..88f178f484 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -59,7 +59,14 @@
         <checkstylePluginVersion>2.9.1</checkstylePluginVersion>
         <checkstyleVersion>5.5</checkstyleVersion>
         <ant.contrib.version>1.0b3</ant.contrib.version>
-        <argLine>-Xmx512m</argLine>
+        <!--
+          org.bouncycastle.native.cpu_variant=java keeps bc-fips from loading its native libraries in the
+          test JVMs, so its DRBG is seeded from the JDK instead of the CPU's RDSEED instruction, which
+          runs dry on busy CI hosts ("RDSEED persistently failed to produce entropy"), see issue #1161.
+          Keep it in the jdk17.options argLine below as well; BcFipsNativeLibrariesOffTestCase in
+          opendj-core fails when either argLine loses it.
+        -->
+        <argLine>-Xmx512m -Dorg.bouncycastle.native.cpu_variant=java</argLine>
         <maven.cargo.containerId>tomcat10x</maven.cargo.containerId>
 
         <docHomepageUrl>https://doc.openidentityplatform.org/opendj/</docHomepageUrl>
@@ -735,7 +742,7 @@
 	        <jdk>[17,)</jdk>
 	      </activation>
 	      <properties>
-              <argLine>-Xmx512m --add-opens java.base/java.lang=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens java.base/java.lang.reflect=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens java.base/java.util=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens java.base/java.net=ALL-UNNAMED  --add-opens java.base/java.io=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens java.base/java.util.regex=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens java.base/java.security=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens java.naming/javax.naming.spi=ALL-UNNAMED</argLine>
+              <argLine>-Xmx512m -Dorg.bouncycastle.native.cpu_variant=java --add-opens java.base/java.lang=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens java.base/java.lang.reflect=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens java.base/java.util=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens java.base/java.net=ALL-UNNAMED  --add-opens java.base/java.io=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens java.base/java.util.regex=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens java.base/java.security=ALL-UNNAMED --add-opens java.naming/javax.naming.spi=ALL-UNNAMED</argLine>
               <maven.cargo.containerId>tomcat11x</maven.cargo.containerId>
 	      </properties>
 	    </profile>