CVE-2026-42766

What it is

Issue summary: A specially crafted password-encrypted CMS message can trigger a NULL pointer dereference during CMS decryption. Impact summary: This NULL pointer dereference leads to an application crash and a Denial of Service. The CMS PasswordRecipientInfo.keyDerivationAlgorithm field is defined as OPTIONAL in the ASN.1 specification and may therefore be absent in specially crafted inputs. During the password-based CMS decryption the OpenSSL CMS implementation dereferences this field without first checking whether it was present. An attacker who supplies such a CMS message to an application performing password-based CMS decryption can trigger an application crash, leading to a Denial of Service. Applications that process password-encrypted CMS messages may be affected. The FIPS modules in 4.0, 3.6, 3.5, 3.4, and 3.0 are not affected by this issue, as the affected code is outside the OpenSSL FIPS module boundary.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited over the network without logging in. High risk of service disruption.

Exploit odds

1.1% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

1. 2026-06-09 17:17 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-07-23 08:10 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 1.1% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 5.9 MEDIUM (CVSS).
• Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published

2026-06-09 17:17 UTC

Last modified

2026-07-23 08:10 UTC

Exploit probability

1.1% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-476 · NULL pointer dereference

Record status

Analyzed

Affected

• OpenSSL < 1.0.2zq
• OpenSSL < 1.1.1zh
• OpenSSL < 3.0.21
• OpenSSL < 3.4.6
• OpenSSL < 3.5.7
• OpenSSL < 3.6.3
• OpenSSL 4.0.0

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 5.9

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

High

Privileges needed

None

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

None

Availability

High

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2026-42766.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2026-42766. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

Copy as ticket · More options · Status badge