Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-15467

Memory Safety in Openssl 3.0.0 – 3.0.19

Public PoCMemory Safety
Published
27 January 2026
Modified
11 August 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.48 99th percentile
Risk Priority 84 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-15467 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Openssl Openssl. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2025-15467 is a stack buffer overflow in OpenSSL that occurs when parsing CMS AuthEnvelopedData or EnvelopedData structures containing AEAD ciphers such as AES-GCM. The flaw arises because the ASN.1-encoded IV from the message parameters is copied into a fixed-size stack buffer without length validation, and the write happens before any authentication or tag check. OpenSSL versions 3.0 through 3.6 are affected, while the FIPS modules in those releases, as well as OpenSSL 1.1.1 and 1.0.2, are not.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can supply a malicious CMS or PKCS#7 message, for example via S/MIME, to any application or service that processes untrusted CMS content with AEAD ciphers. The oversized IV triggers an out-of-bounds stack write that may cause a crash resulting in denial of service or, depending on platform mitigations, remote code execution; no valid key material is required to reach the vulnerable code path.

The referenced OpenSSL commits implement bounds checking on the IV length during CMS parameter parsing, and upgrading to a patched version of the library is the indicated remediation. The associated EPSS score has remained flat at a low value of 0.0289 with no material increase after disclosure.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Issue summary: Parsing CMS AuthEnvelopedData or EnvelopedData message with maliciously crafted AEAD parameters can trigger a stack buffer overflow. Impact summary: A stack buffer overflow may lead to a crash, causing Denial of Service, or potentially remote code execution. When…

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parsing CMS (Auth)EnvelopedData structures that use AEAD ciphers such as AES-GCM, the IV (Initialization Vector) encoded in the ASN.1 parameters is copied into a fixed-size stack buffer without verifying that its length fits the destination. An attacker can supply a crafted CMS message with an oversized IV, causing a stack-based out-of-bounds write before any authentication or tag verification occurs. Applications and services that parse untrusted CMS or PKCS#7 content using AEAD ciphers (e.g., S/MIME (Auth)EnvelopedData with AES-GCM) are vulnerable. Because the overflow occurs prior to authentication, no valid key material is required to trigger it. While exploitability to remote code execution depends on platform and toolchain mitigations, the stack-based write primitive represents a severe risk. The FIPS modules in 3.6, 3.5, 3.4, 3.3 and 3.0 are not affected by this issue, as the CMS implementation is outside the OpenSSL FIPS module boundary. OpenSSL 3.6, 3.5, 3.4, 3.3 and 3.0 are vulnerable to this issue. OpenSSL 1.1.1 and 1.0.2 are not affected by this issue.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
T1211 Exploitation for Stealth Stealth
Adversaries may exploit vulnerabilities to evade detection by hiding activity, suppressing logging, or operating within trusted or unmonitored components.
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-43548Shared CWE-120, CWE-787
CVE-2023-7222Shared CWE-120, CWE-787
CVE-2023-3164Shared CWE-120, CWE-787
CVE-2024-52066Shared CWE-120, CWE-787
CVE-2024-44157Shared CWE-120, CWE-787
CVE-2026-22184Shared CWE-120, CWE-787
CVE-2024-42642Shared CWE-120, CWE-787
CVE-2023-38671Shared CWE-120, CWE-787
CVE-2023-21640Shared CWE-120, CWE-787
CVE-2026-32706Shared CWE-120, CWE-787

Affected Assets

openssl
openssl
3.0.0 — 3.0.19 · 3.1.0 — 3.3.6 · 3.4.0 — 3.4.4

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.2.1

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Developer testing and evaluation (including fuzzing and bounds checks) finds out-of-bounds write flaws before deployment.

Input validation directly enforces size checks before buffer copies.

Requiring documented secure-development standards and tools can mandate bounds-checked coding practices that avoid the weakness.

Engineering principles require bounds checking and safe buffer handling in design.

Memory-protection mechanisms limit the exploitability and blast radius of a successful out-of-bounds write.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure-development practices (static analysis, bounds checking, code review) are the primary means of preventing out-of-bounds writes.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover out-of-bounds write flaws so they can be remediated.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching or replacing vulnerable software directly eliminates known instances of this coding weakness.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

Secure coding directly requires bounds-checked memory operations, addressing the root cause of CWE-120.

finds

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect and prevent out-of-bounds write defects.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates practices that prevent out-of-bounds writes.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory handling.

prevents

Secure architecture and engineering principles reduce the likelihood of buffer overflows.

prevents

Change management can enforce review gates that catch unsafe memory operations before deployment.

References