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CVE-2023-0401

HIGH

openssl-src contains `NULL` dereference during PKCS7 data verification

Published February 8, 2023Updated February 4, 2026Source: osv

Summary

A `NULL` pointer can be dereferenced when signatures are being verified on PKCS7 `signed` or `signedAndEnveloped` data. In case the hash algorithm used for the signature is known to the OpenSSL library but the implementation of the hash algorithm is not available the digest initialization will fail. There is a missing check for the return value from the initialization function which later leads to invalid usage of the digest API most likely leading to a crash. The unavailability of an algorithm can be caused by using FIPS enabled configuration of providers or more commonly by not loading the legacy provider. PKCS7 data is processed by the SMIME library calls and also by the time stamp (TS) library calls. The TLS implementation in OpenSSL does not call these functions however third party applications would be affected if they call these functions to verify signatures on untrusted data.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

Cargo
Update openssl-src to 300.0.12 or later
cargo update -p openssl-src --precise 300.0.12

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (1)

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
openssl-src
crates.io
All versions300.0.12

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

  • CWE-476
    NULL Pointer DereferenceMITRE

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 7.5 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-0401?
openssl-src contains `NULL` dereference during PKCS7 data verification This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of HIGH (CVSS score: 7.5/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2023-0401?
CVE-2023-0401 affects openssl-src. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2023-0401 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
7.5

High exploitability or significant impact. Prioritize remediation within days.

Also Known As

GHSA-vrh7-x64v-7vxq
RUSTSEC-2023-0013

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