CVE-2026-35189VulnerabilityPublished 29 Sep 2026Updated 10 Nov 2026

Issue summary: A certificate with many nameRelativeToCRLIssuer CRL distribution points causes disproportionate heap

Source GCVE Database

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Authoritative record:CVE-2026-35189· Medium 5.3

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium · fixed in 4.0.3 : update OpenSSL when convenient.

Data as of 13 Nov 2026, 23:53 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

CVSS scores by source
CISA-ADP	CVSS 3.1	5.3

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 29% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 4.0.3, 3.6.5, 3.5.9 +4

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 29 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 14 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

ghsa-3r46-fh9h-qv77

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
OpenSSLOpenSSL	Affected >=4.0.0 <4.0.3	Fixed in 4.0.3
OpenSSLOpenSSL	Affected >=3.6.0 <3.6.5	Fixed in 3.6.5
OpenSSLOpenSSL	Affected >=3.5.0 <3.5.9	Fixed in 3.5.9
OpenSSLOpenSSL	Affected >=3.4.0 <3.4.8	Fixed in 3.4.8
OpenSSLOpenSSL	Affected >=3.0.0 <3.0.23	Fixed in 3.0.23
OpenSSLOpenSSL	Affected >=1.1.1 <1.1.1zj	Fixed in 1.1.1zj

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

If you cannot patch yet, consider limiting the size or complexity of certificates accepted from peers if possible.

Description

A vulnerability in OpenSSL causes disproportionate heap memory growth when processing certificates with many nameRelativeToCRLIssuer CRL distribution points. This can lead to significant memory pressure and potential Denial of Service during TLS handshakes with maliciously crafted certificates. The issue arises because large memory allocations occur when caching X.509 extensions, even if the certificate size is within accepted limits. The fix delays processing of CRL distribution points until needed, reducing memory usage. This vulnerability does not affect the FIPS module.

Impact

An attacker can send a specially crafted certificate with numerous CRL distribution points to a client or server that requests client certificates, causing excessive memory allocation. This can lead to significant memory pressure and potentially crash the affected system, resulting in Denial of Service. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity, and no known exploitation in the wild has been reported.

Summary

CVE-2026-35189 describes a resource allocation vulnerability in OpenSSL where certificates containing many nameRelativeToCRLIssuer CRL distribution points cause excessive heap memory growth during X.509 extension caching. Although the certificate size remains under the ~100 KiB acceptance limit, the memory allocated can reach several hundred MiB, potentially crashing clients or servers handling multiple concurrent TLS handshakes. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling). The implemented fix postpones CRL distribution point processing until required for CRL validation, mitigating prolonged large memory allocations.

CWE-770Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #25
The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.
Requirements
Clearly specify the minimum and maximum expectations for capabilities, and dictate which behaviors are acceptable when resource allocation reaches limits.
Architecture and Design
Limit the amount of resources that are accessible to unprivileged users. Set per-user limits for resources. Allow the system administrator to define these limits. Be careful to avoid CWE-410.
Architecture and Design
Design throttling mechanisms into the system architecture. The best protection is to limit the amount of resources that an unauthorized user can cause to be expended.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Abuse Case (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V13.4.1 (opens in a new tab)
V11.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
XML Ping of the Death (opens in a new tab)
Exponential Data Expansion (opens in a new tab)
Serialized Data Parameter Blowup (opens in a new tab)
Serialized Data with Nested Payloads (opens in a new tab)
Oversized Serialized Data Payloads (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Nov 2026, 09:28 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-770

Technical details

References

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