NULL Pointer Dereference Affecting openssl package, versions [3.4.0,]
Threat Intelligence
The probability is the direct output of the EPSS model, and conveys an overall sense of the threat of exploitation in the wild. The percentile measures the EPSS probability relative to all known EPSS scores. Note: This data is updated daily, relying on the latest available EPSS model version. Check out the EPSS documentation for more details.
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- published26 Aug 2026
- disclosed25 Aug 2026
- creditUnknown
Introduced: 25 Aug 2026
NewCVE-2026-14457 (opens in a new tab)How to fix?
A fix was pushed into the master branch but not yet published.
Overview
Affected versions of this package are vulnerable to NULL Pointer Dereference through check_cert_usable in ssl/t1_lib.c. An attacker can crash a server or client by negotiating RFC7250 raw public keys and sending the TLS signature_algorithms_cert extension to a peer configured with only a private key and no matching certificate. In that key-only RPK deployment, the TLS handshake reaches a code path that dereferences a missing certificate pointer, aborting the application and causing a denial of service.
Workarounds
- Configure a corresponding certificate alongside the private key for RFC7250 Raw Public Key deployments, using a self-signed certificate or one signed by any convenient CA; this avoids the key-only path that can crash when
signature_algorithms_certis received. - If clients or servers need to interoperate with non-RPK peers, pin or verify the corresponding certificate or its public key; this allows fallback to X.509 handshakes and avoids relying on a private-key-only setup.