CVE-2023-0216: Openssl src Openssl-src Subject To Invalid Pointer Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-29xx-hcv2-c4cp
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-476
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-0216 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) openssl-src subject to invalid pointer vulnerability (CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference) affecting Openssl src libraries in the crates.io ecosystem. The issue involves openssl-src subject to invalid pointer dereference in `d2i_pkcs7` functions. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 300.0.12.

CVE-2023-0216 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-0216
GHSA Identifier GHSA-29xx-hcv2-c4cp
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference
Affected Product Openssl src
Package Ecosystem crates.io
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-0216

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Openssl src dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

openssl-src fixed: 300.0.12 
Upgrade openssl-src to 300.0.12
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for openssl-src

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2023-0216, inspect your project dependencies for Openssl src:

inspect dependencies for openssl-src

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Openssl src in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 300.0.12), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference, where the product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is null. In Openssl src, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

An invalid pointer dereference on read can be triggered when an application tries to load malformed PKCS7 data with the `d2i_PKCS7()`, `d2i_PKCS7_bio()` or `d2i_PKCS7_fp()` functions. The result of the dereference is an application crash which could lead to a denial of service attack. The TLS implementation in OpenSSL does not call this function however third party applications might call these functions on untrusted data.

CVE-2023-0216 Affected Openssl src Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
300.0.12
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openssl-src
 crates.io
≥ 300.0.0
< 300.0.12
300.0.12

References

NVD — CVE-2023-0216 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-0216
git.openssl.org/gitweb/ WEB
https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff;h=934a04f0e775309cadbef0aa6b9692e1b12a76c6
psirt.global.sonicwall.com/vuln-detail/snwlid-... WEB
https://psirt.global.sonicwall.com/vuln-detail/SNWLID-2023-0003
rustsec.org/advisories/rustsec-... WEB
https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2023-0011.html
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202402-08
www.openssl.org/news/secadv/2023020... WEB
https://www.openssl.org/news/secadv/20230207.txt

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-0216?
CVE-2023-0216 is a security vulnerability in Openssl src involving openssl-src subject to Invalid pointer dereference in `d2i_PKCS7` functions under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference.
Which Openssl src versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 300.0.12 across affected packages: openssl-src.
What version fixes CVE-2023-0216?
Upgrading to 300.0.12 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openssl-src affected?
Yes, openssl-src is affected in releases prior to 300.0.12. Upgrade your dependency to 300.0.12 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-0216?
CVE-2023-0216 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-0216?
CVE-2023-0216 is classified under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference (The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.).
How can I check crates.io dependencies for CVE-2023-0216?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for openssl-src'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-29xx-hcv2-c4cp",
  "modified" : "2025-11-04T22:09:03Z",
  "published" : "2023-02-08T22:23:39Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-0216" ],
  "summary" : "openssl-src subject to Invalid pointer dereference in `d2i_PKCS7` functions",
  "details" : "An invalid pointer dereference on read can be triggered when an application tries to load malformed PKCS7 data with the `d2i_PKCS7()`, `d2i_PKCS7_bio()` or `d2i_PKCS7_fp()` functions.\n\nThe result of the dereference is an application crash which could lead to a denial of service attack. The TLS implementation in OpenSSL does not call this function however third party applications might call these functions on untrusted data.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "crates.io",
      "name" : "openssl-src"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "300.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "300.0.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-0216"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff;h=934a04f0e775309cadbef0aa6b9692e1b12a76c6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://psirt.global.sonicwall.com/vuln-detail/SNWLID-2023-0003"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2023-0011.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202402-08"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.openssl.org/news/secadv/20230207.txt"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-476" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-02-08T22:23:39Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-02-08T20:15:00Z"
  }
}