CVE-2023-0401: Openssl src Openssl-src Contains `NULL` Dereference During Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vrh7-x64v-7vxq
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-476
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-0401 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) openssl-src contains `null` dereference during vulnerability (CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference) affecting Openssl src libraries in the crates.io ecosystem. The issue involves openssl-src contains `null` dereference during pkcs7 data verification. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 300.0.12.

CVE-2023-0401 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-0401
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vrh7-x64v-7vxq
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-2023-0401

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-2023-0401, 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

A `NULL` pointer can be dereferenced when signatures are being verified on PKCS7 `signed` or `signedAndEnveloped` data. In case the hash algorithm used for the signature is known to the OpenSSL library but the implementation of the hash algorithm is not available the digest initialization will fail. There is a missing check for the return value from the initialization function which later leads to invalid usage of the digest API most likely leading to a crash. The unavailability of an algorithm can be caused by using FIPS enabled configuration of providers or more commonly by not loading the legacy provider. PKCS7 data is processed by the SMIME library calls and also by the time stamp (TS) library calls. The TLS implementation in OpenSSL does not call these functions however third party applications would be affected if they call these functions to verify signatures on untrusted data.

CVE-2023-0401 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-2023-0401 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-0401
git.openssl.org/gitweb/ WEB
https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff;h=d3b6dfd70db844c4499bec6ad6601623a565e674
Openssl src Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/alexcrichton/openssl-src-rs
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-2023-0013.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-2023-0401?
CVE-2023-0401 is a security vulnerability in Openssl src involving openssl-src contains `NULL` dereference during PKCS7 data verification 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-2023-0401?
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-2023-0401?
CVE-2023-0401 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-2023-0401?
CVE-2023-0401 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-2023-0401?
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-vrh7-x64v-7vxq",
  "modified" : "2025-11-04T22:08:55Z",
  "published" : "2023-02-08T22:21:22Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-0401" ],
  "summary" : "openssl-src contains `NULL` dereference during PKCS7 data verification",
  "details" : "A `NULL` pointer can be dereferenced when signatures are being verified on PKCS7 `signed` or `signedAndEnveloped` data. In case the hash algorithm used for the signature is known to the OpenSSL library but the implementation of the hash algorithm is not available the digest initialization will fail. There is a missing check for the return value from the initialization function which later leads to invalid usage of the digest API most likely leading to a crash. The unavailability of an algorithm can be caused by using FIPS enabled configuration of providers or more commonly by not loading the legacy provider.\n\nPKCS7 data is processed by the SMIME library calls and also by the time stamp (TS) library calls. The TLS implementation in OpenSSL does not call these functions however third party applications would be affected if they call these functions to verify signatures 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-2023-0401"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff;h=d3b6dfd70db844c4499bec6ad6601623a565e674"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/alexcrichton/openssl-src-rs"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://psirt.global.sonicwall.com/vuln-detail/SNWLID-2023-0003"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2023-0013.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" : "2023-02-08T22:21:22Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-02-08T20:15:00Z"
  }
}