CVE-2025-9231VulnerabilityPublished 30 Sep 2025Updated 9 Nov 2026

nodejs · Issue summary: A timing side-channel which could potentially allow remote recovery of the private key exists in the

Affects nodejsSource GCVE Database

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Authoritative record:CVE-2025-9231· Medium 5.9

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.9 Medium : upgrade to 3.5.3-1ubuntu2 when convenient.

Data as of 9 Nov 2026, 14:33 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.9Medium

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	5.9

Patch: Available – fixed in 3.5.3-1ubuntu2

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

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

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: High: A successful attack depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control. That is, a successful attack cannot be accomplished at will, but requires the attacker to invest in some measurable amount of effort in preparation or execution against the vulnerable component before a successful attack can be expected. For example, a successful attack may require an attacker to: gather knowledge about the environment in which the vulnerable target/component exists; prepare the target environment to improve exploit reliability; or inject themselves into the logical network path between the target and the resource requested by the victim in order to read and/or modify network communications (e.g., a man in the middle attack).
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: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 30 Sep 2025
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 9 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.

What to do

Upgrade the Ubuntu openssl package to 3.5.3-1ubuntu2.

Patches and advisories

ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7786-1 (opens in a new tab)

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSopenssl`pkg:deb/ubuntu/openssl?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected <3.5.3-1ubuntu2	Fixed in 3.5.3-1ubuntu2
Ubuntu 25.10openssl`pkg:deb/ubuntu/openssl?arch=source&distro=questing`Other threats	Affected <3.5.3-1ubuntu2	Fixed in 3.5.3-1ubuntu2
Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTSnodejs`pkg:deb/ubuntu/nodejs?arch=source&distro=esm-apps/jammy`Other threats	Affected 12.22.5~dfsg-5ubuntu1 – 12.22.9~dfsg-1ubuntu3.6+esm2 12 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTSnodejs`pkg:deb/ubuntu/nodejs?arch=source&distro=esm-apps/bionic`Other threats	Affected 6.11.4~dfsg-1ubuntu1 – 8.10.0~dfsg-2ubuntu0.4+esm6 15 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTSnodejs`pkg:deb/ubuntu/nodejs?arch=source&distro=esm-apps/xenial`Other threats	Affected 0.10.25~dfsg2-2ubuntu1 – 4.2.6~dfsg-1ubuntu4.2+esm3 12 affected builds	Fixed in–

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

AI-suggested

A fix for this vulnerability is available and has been released in OpenSSL package version 3.5.3-1ubuntu2 for affected Ubuntu releases. Users should update their OpenSSL packages to this version or later to remediate the issue. Standard system updates will apply the necessary patches. No additional mitigation steps are required beyond applying the official update.

Description

A timing side-channel vulnerability exists in the SM2 algorithm implementation on 64-bit ARM platforms in OpenSSL as packaged for Ubuntu. This flaw could potentially allow an attacker to recover the private key by analyzing timing signals during SM2 signature computations. The issue is rated as Moderate severity and is not relevant to most TLS contexts since OpenSSL does not natively support SM2 certificates in TLS. The vulnerability affects specific Ubuntu package versions and has been fixed in version 3.5.3-1ubuntu2.

Impact

An attacker with the ability to measure timing of SM2 signature computations on vulnerable 64-bit ARM platforms could potentially recover private keys. This could compromise the confidentiality of cryptographic operations relying on SM2 keys. However, the vulnerability is limited in scope since OpenSSL does not natively support SM2 certificates in TLS, reducing the risk in common TLS deployments. The FIPS modules are not affected. No known exploitation in the wild has been reported.

Summary

CVE-2025-9231 describes a timing side-channel vulnerability in the SM2 signature computations within OpenSSL on 64-bit ARM platforms. The vulnerability could allow remote recovery of private keys by exploiting timing measurements. Although remote key recovery over a network was not demonstrated by the reporter, the timing signal leakage indicates potential for such an attack. OpenSSL does not directly support SM2 keys in TLS, limiting exposure in typical TLS use cases. The FIPS modules in versions 3.0 through 3.5 are not affected as SM2 is not approved there. The issue affects Ubuntu OpenSSL packages prior to 3.5.3-1ubuntu2 and specific listed versions. A patch is available and has been released by Ubuntu.

References

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