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NULL Pointer Dereference in OpenSSL PKCS12_item_decrypt_d2i_ex()

IdentifiersCVE-2025-69421CWE-476· NULL Pointer Dereference

CVE-2025-69421 is a NULL pointer dereference in OpenSSL's PKCS#12 processing. When a malformed PKCS#12 file is processed, the PKCS12_item_decrypt_d2i_ex() function dereferences the oct parameter without first verifying that it is non-NULL. The vulnerable condition can be reached when PKCS12_item_decrypt_d2i_ex() is called from PKCS12_unpack_p7encdata() while handling malformed PKCS#12 content. Successful triggering causes the application using OpenSSL to crash. The issue is described as limited to denial of service and not leading to code execution or memory disclosure. Affected branches include OpenSSL 3.6, 3.5, 3.4, 3.3, 3.0, 1.1.1, and 1.0.2.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

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Impact

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An attacker can cause a denial of service by crashing an application that processes a crafted malformed PKCS#12 file. Based on the provided advisory content, the impact is limited to application termination/crash and is not believed to be exploitable for remote code execution, privilege escalation, or memory disclosure.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

Until patched, reduce exposure by preventing or tightly restricting processing of untrusted PKCS#12 files. Where operationally possible, only accept PKCS#12 सामग्री from trusted sources, validate certificate/container inputs before import, and limit interfaces or workflows that allow users to upload or supply PKCS#12 files. In product-specific deployments, disable or restrict PKI client or certificate-upload functionality if not required.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade to a fixed OpenSSL release for the affected branch. The provided content indicates fixes were released in OpenSSL 3.6.1, 3.5.5, 3.4.4, 3.3.6, 3.0.19, 1.1.1ze, and 1.0.2zn, with 1.1.1ze and 1.0.2zn noted as premium-support releases. Downstream products should be updated to vendor-remediated builds that incorporate these fixes.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

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VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

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EXPOSURE SURFACE

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VendorProductType
FreebsdFreebsdapplication
OpenSSL Software FoundationOpensslapplication

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