CVE-2026-63072
CVE-2026-63072 — Heap Buffer Overflow in CMS Key Unwrapping
Issue summary: OpenSSL CMS decryption sizes the key-unwrap output buffer based on querying the unwrapped key size, but the AES-WRAP-PAD unwrap primitive can write and cleanse more bytes than that query reports, causing an 8-byte out-of-bounds heap write. Impact summary: An attacker who supplies a crafted CMS message can trigger a deterministic 8-byte out-of-bounds heap write when the victim decrypts it with CMS_decrypt(), corrupting the heap and typically resulting in a Denial of Service. CWE: CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write Description: The key-wrap OID is potentially attacker-controlled on the wire. CMS unwrapping allows both id-aesNNN-wrap-pad and id-aesNNN-wrap ciphers. An attacker can take a legitimate message and change a single OID byte to select the padded variant while leaving the message otherwise valid. Since the unwrap key is derived from the recipient's private operation (ECDH key agreement or ML-KEM decapsulation), the RFC 5649 integrity check cannot pass, and the decryption fails with integrity failure. The write is a fixed-size (8-byte), fixed-value (zero) heap overflow immediately past the allocation, requires no special configuration, and is reachable from the public CMS_decrypt() function. The consequence is a heap corruption leading to a Denial of Service. The fix in the CMS code sizes the unwrap output buffer for the worst case so a failed unwrap cannot write past the allocation. FIPS impact: no As the CMS code lives outside the FIPS module boundary, no FIPS modules are affected by this CVE.
Published Updated Sources: NVD, OpenSSL (CNA), GitHub, SOCRadar CTI
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.
Exploitation
Unreported
no source claims exploitation
EPSS
0%
ahead of 0% of scored CVEs
CVSS base
Unscored
no source published a base score
Remediation
The vendor's own words where we have them.
Upgrade OpenSSL to a fixed release. Apply vendor patches per advisory and restrict external exposure of the affected component until patched.
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record's own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found.
- Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations.
- Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure.
- Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and version as the advisories word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenSSL | OpenSSL | 4.0.0 to < 4.0.2 | Vulnerable |
| OpenSSL | OpenSSL | 3.6.0 to < 3.6.4 | Vulnerable |
| OpenSSL | OpenSSL | 3.5.0 to < 3.5.8 | Vulnerable |
| OpenSSL | OpenSSL | 3.4.0 to < 3.4.7 | Vulnerable |
| OpenSSL | OpenSSL | 3.0.0 to < 3.0.22 | Vulnerable |
| OpenSSL | OpenSSL | 1.1.1 to < 1.1.1zi | Vulnerable |
What this weakness leads to
MITRE's own consequences and mitigations for the weakness class — the authority's wording, not guidance derived from the CVSS vector.
CWE-787 · Out-of-bounds Write
- Modify Memory
- DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
- Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands::
Mitigation: Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, many languages that perform their own memory management, such as Java and Perl, are not subject to buffer overflows. Other languages, such as Ada and C#, typically provide overflow protection, but the protection can be disabled by the programmer. Be wary that a language's interface to native code may still be subject to overflows, even if the language itself is theoretically safe.
Weakness & attack patterns
- CWE-787Out-of-bounds Write
Inferred from the weakness class — not observed against this CVE.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.
- 2026
Initial · CVE published
Aug 25, 2026 · NVD
References
6 on the record
- github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/2a3dac874c8057c1f0186849bf1ede1ae7b6b756
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, Mitre
- github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/87784ad619af36b8807c2044b3940006fccc1e42
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, Mitre
- github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/9530a5fd1aacaeccdced4478ea2340a480613335
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, Mitre
- github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/9ec2f6d2ae2bcad907cf7ee38584855bafe4979a
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, Mitre
- github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/a0c8ec557d9cac078f032d76cdf684fe743eb382
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, Mitre
- openssl-library.org/news/secadv/20260825.txt
Vendor Advisory, Mitre
Elsewhere on this site
- OpenSSLevery CVE for this vendor
- Memory Corruptionsame class
- CWE-787other pages naming this weakness
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record1
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-63072 is Heap Buffer Overflow in CMS Key Unwrapping, a unscored vulnerability affecting OpenSSL from OpenSSL. The current evidence does not list it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Active exploitation is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-63072. Public exploit evidence is: A public PoC is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-63072. The affected-version evidence is listed in the key facts and affected products tables. Defenders should first verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run those versions, then apply vendor patches or mitigations, restrict reachable attack surface, and preserve logs for detection review. CVSS null describes technical severity, while EPSS 0% helps estimate near-term exploit likelihood; neither replaces asset context. Unknown fields should remain explicit in tickets, and threat actor, IOC, victimology, or payload claims should not be added unless a cited source supports them. Monitor CISA KEV, vendor advisories, NVD changes, public PoC repositories, and internal telemetry for update triggers.