Timing side-channel in OpenSSL SM2 on 64-bit ARM
CVE-2025-9231 is a timing side-channel vulnerability in OpenSSL's SM2 algorithm implementation affecting 64-bit ARM platforms. The issue occurs during SM2 signature computations and stems from non-constant-time behavior in the implementation, with the provided context specifically indicating that the fix addressed timing leakage in the modular inversion path in crypto/ec/ecp_sm2p256.c, including get_affine, field_inv, and inv_mod_ord. OpenSSL assessed that the timing signal could potentially permit private key recovery. OpenSSL does not directly support certificates with SM2 keys in TLS by default, so exposure is limited in most standard TLS deployments, but custom providers can enable such usage and make the issue relevant remotely. The FIPS modules for OpenSSL 3.5, 3.4, 3.3, 3.2, 3.1, and 3.0 are not affected because SM2 is not an approved algorithm there.
Are you exposed to this one?
Mallory correlates every CVE against your assets, your vendors, and active adversary campaigns. Know which vulnerabilities matter for you, not just which ones are loud.
Impact, mitigation & remediation
What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.
Impact
What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.
Mitigation
If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.
Remediation
Patch, then assume compromise.
Exploits
No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.
No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.
Affected products & vendors
Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.
Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.
Recent activity
36 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
A timing side-channel vulnerability in the SM2 algorithm on 64-bit ARM systems in OpenSSL.
A timing side-channel in the SM2 algorithm on 64-bit ARM in OpenSSL.
A timing side-channel vulnerability in the SM2 algorithm on 64-bit ARM in OpenSSL, fixed in the 3.5.4 security patch release.
An OpenSSL timing side-channel vulnerability affecting the SM2 algorithm on 64-bit ARM.
The version that knows your environment.
Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.
Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.
Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.
YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.