CVE-2026-63073
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
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| OpenSSL | OpenSSL | 4.0.0, 3.6.0, 3.5.0 |
| OpenSSL | OpenSSL | 4.0.0, 3.4.0, 3.5.0 |
| chainguard | openssl-provider-fips-3.6.0 | *, *, * |
| chainguard | openssl-provider-fips-3.4.0 | *, *, * |
| chainguard | eco-python-openssl-4 | 0, 0, 0 |
| alpine | openssl | 0, 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
References
- OpenSSL Advisory vendor-advisory
- 4.0.2 git commit patch
- 3.6.4 git commit patch
- 3.5.8 git commit patch
- 3.4.7 git commit patch