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CVE Record

CVE-2024-0727: PKCS12 Decoding crashes

Issue summary: Processing a maliciously formatted PKCS12 file may lead OpenSSL to crash leading to a potential Denial of Service attack Impact summary: Applications loading files in the PKCS12 format from untrusted sources might terminate abruptly. A file in PKCS12 format can contain certificates and keys and may come from an untrusted source. The PKCS12 specification allows certain fields to be NULL, but OpenSSL does not correctly check for this case. This can lead to a NULL pointer dereference that results in OpenSSL crashing. If an application processes PKCS12 files from an untrusted source using the OpenSSL APIs then that application will be vulnerable to this issue. OpenSSL APIs that are vulnerable to this are: PKCS12_parse(), PKCS12_unpack_p7data(), PKCS12_unpack_p7encdata(), PKCS12_unpack_authsafes() and PKCS12_newpass(). We have also fixed a similar issue in SMIME_write_PKCS7(). However since this function is related to writing data we do not consider it security significant. The FIPS modules in 3.2, 3.1 and 3.0 are not affected by this issue.

MediumCVSS 5.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

A specially crafted PKCS12 certificate/key file can make vulnerable OpenSSL-using applications crash. The business impact is availability loss, not data theft or code execution, and only workflows that load PKCS12 files from untrusted sources are in scope.

Executive priority

Patch during the next normal security update cycle unless a business-critical service accepts PKCS12 files from outsiders; then prioritize sooner to reduce outage risk.

Technical view

OpenSSL mishandles NULL fields allowed by the PKCS12 specification, causing a NULL pointer dereference in PKCS12 parsing and unpacking APIs. Affected applications can terminate when processing a malicious PKCS12 file. OpenSSL says FIPS modules in 3.2, 3.1, and 3.0 are not affected.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely in certificate import, client-certificate onboarding, key-store migration, appliance administration, or support workflows that accept PKCS12 files from users, partners, or external systems.

Exploitation context

The CVSS vector requires local interaction and user involvement. The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or other evidence of active exploitation. Treat this as a targeted denial-of-service risk against exposed PKCS12 import paths.

Researcher notes

This is CWE-476 in OpenSSL PKCS12 handling. The advisory also mentions SMIME_write_PKCS7(), but OpenSSL does not consider that writing-path issue security significant. Evidence supports crash-only availability impact, with no confidentiality or integrity impact stated.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade OpenSSL to fixed releases: 3.2.1, 3.1.5, or 3.0.13 where applicable.
  • For extended support branches, apply vendor-provided 1.1.1x or 1.0.2zj fixes.
  • Prioritize applications that accept PKCS12 files from untrusted or semi-trusted sources.
  • Restrict PKCS12 upload/import access until patched, where operationally feasible.
  • Check downstream vendor advisories for embedded OpenSSL fixes in appliances and distributions.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory OpenSSL versions across hosts, containers, applications, and vendor products.
  • Identify workflows that import or transform PKCS12 files from external users or partners.
  • Review code for PKCS12_parse(), PKCS12_unpack_p7data(), PKCS12_unpack_p7encdata(), PKCS12_unpack_authsafes(), and PKCS12_newpass().
  • Confirm packages or binaries include the OpenSSL advisory fixes, not only a renamed package version.
  • Document whether OpenSSL FIPS modules are in use and whether non-FIPS PKCS12 parsing remains exposed.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
10

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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ATT&CK lookup starting points

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cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-476: Exact CWE lookup

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2024-0727 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
5.5 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
3ADP providers
15Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: partial

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
5.5CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6CISA-ADP

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

5.5Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2024-0727Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CVECVE Program Container
CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
cvssV3_1other:ssvc
siemens-SADPADP container

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
OpenSSLOpenSSL3.2.0, 3.1.0, 3.0.0, 1.1.1, 1.0.2unaffected
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-476

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-476 · source CWE mapping

NULL Pointer Dereference

NULL Pointer Dereference represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

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