VDB

CVE-2026-63073

CVE-2026-63073 PUBLISHED CVSS 9.8 CRITICAL

Reported by openssl · Published August 25, 2026

Issue summary: OpenSSL CMP response validation passed an unexpected response sender distinguished name directly as the format string to `ERR_raise_data()`. Impact summary: A malicious or intercepted CMP endpoint can crash a CMP client that enforces an expected sender or uses a pinned server certificate whose subject becomes the default expected sender. CWE: CWE-134 (Use of Externally-Controlled Format String) Description: When validating a received CMP message, ossl_cmp_msg_check_update() converts the peer-supplied sender distinguished name with X509_NAME_oneline() and passes it directly as the format argument to ERR_raise_data(). Percent characters survive the conversion, so a sender DN such as "CN=%s%n" reaches BIO_vsnprintf() as an attacker-controlled format string with no matching variadic arguments. This path is only reached when the caller configures an expected sender or pins a server certificate, which is the normal configuration for a CMP client validating server responses. Since the attacker controls the format string but none of the variadic arguments, such specifiers as %s and %n dereference or write through unrelated stack contents and crash the client. The reliable consequence is a denial of service, when the response comes from a malicious or intercepted CMP endpoint. There is no controlled memory write, arbitrary-address read, or reliable path to remote code execution. FIPS impact: no No FIPS modules are affected by this issue, as the CMP protocol implementation is outside the OpenSSL FIPS module boundary.

Risk Scores

CVSS 3.1
9.8
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Products

VendorProductVersions
OpenSSLOpenSSL4.0.0, 3.6.0, 3.5.0
OpenSSLOpenSSL4.0.0, 3.4.0, 3.5.0
chainguardopenssl-provider-fips-3.6.0*, *, *
chainguardopenssl-provider-fips-3.4.0*, *, *
chainguardeco-python-openssl-40, 0, 0
alpineopenssl0, 0, 0

Timeline

  • Aug 25, 2026 Coalition ESS Score
  • Aug 25, 2026 CVE Published
  • Aug 26, 2026 EPSS Score
  • Aug 30, 2026 EPSS Score
  • Sep 1, 2026 EPSS Score
  • Sep 2, 2026 Security Advisory
  • Sep 5, 2026 EPSS Score
  • Sep 6, 2026 EPSS Score
  • Sep 9, 2026 EPSS Score
  • Sep 11, 2026 CVE Updated
  • Sep 12, 2026 EPSS Score
  • Sep 16, 2026 EPSS Score
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