CVE-2025-9230
📋 TL;DR
This OpenSSL vulnerability allows attackers to trigger out-of-bounds memory operations when applications decrypt CMS messages using password-based encryption. Successful exploitation could lead to denial of service or remote code execution. Only applications using OpenSSL's CMS password-based encryption (PWRI) feature are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- OpenSSL
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution allowing attackers to run arbitrary code on vulnerable systems.
Likely Case
Application crash leading to denial of service due to the complexity of exploitation and rare usage of PWRI encryption.
If Mitigated
No impact if PWRI encryption is not used or systems are patched.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires specific conditions: application must be decrypting CMS messages using password-based encryption. The CVE states probability of successful exploit is low.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions containing the referenced GitHub commits
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/5965ea5dd6960f36d8b7f74f8eac67a8eb8f2b45
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Identify OpenSSL version. 2. Update to patched version containing fixes from referenced commits. 3. Restart affected applications/services. 4. Recompile applications if statically linked.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable CMS password-based encryption
allConfigure applications to not use password-based encryption (PWRI) for CMS messages
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable or restrict use of CMS password-based encryption features in applications
- Implement network segmentation to isolate systems using vulnerable OpenSSL versions
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check OpenSSL version and verify if application uses CMS password-based encryption featuresCheck Version:
openssl versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify OpenSSL version is updated to include the referenced fix commits📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crashes during CMS decryption operations
- Memory access violation errors in application logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual network traffic patterns to/from applications using CMS encryption
SIEM Query:
Search for application crash events related to OpenSSL or CMS decryption processes🔗 References
- https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/5965ea5dd6960f36d8b7f74f8eac67a8eb8f2b45
- https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/9e91358f365dee6c446dcdcdb01c04d2743fd280
- https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/a79c4ce559c6a3a8fd4109e9f33c1185d5bf2def
- https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/b5282d677551afda7d20e9c00e09561b547b2dfd
- https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/bae259a211ada6315dc50900686daaaaaa55f482
- https://github.openssl.org/openssl/extended-releases/commit/c2b96348bfa662f25f4fabf81958ae822063dae3
- https://github.openssl.org/openssl/extended-releases/commit/dfbaf161d8dafc1132dd88cd48ad990ed9b4c8ba
- https://openssl-library.org/news/secadv/20250930.txt
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/09/30/5
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00001.html
