CVE-2026-14457Network attack vector

Application abort via missing RPK certificate dereference

Published Aug 25, 2026 · Updated Aug 25, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in affected OpenSSL releases allows remote attackers to crash TLS applications during a crafted RPK handshake. check_cert_usable treats a private-key-only RPK slot as if it had an X.509 certificate and examines the missing certificate while applying peer-supplied signature_algorithms_cert constraints. Reachability requires RFC 7250 RPK negotiation, a locally configured private key without a certificate, and the usually omitted extension; the bounded result is application abort only.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.98%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in affected OpenSSL releases allows remote attackers to crash TLS applications during a crafted RPK handshake. check_cert_usable treats a private-key-only RPK slot as if it had an X.509 certificate and examines the missing certificate while applying peer-supplied signature_algorithms_cert constraints. Reachability requires RFC 7250 RPK negotiation, a locally configured private key without a certificate, and the usually omitted extension; the bounded result is application abort only.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-14457
Published
Aug 25, 2026
Updated
Aug 25, 2026
Vendor
OpenSSL Project
Product
OpenSSL
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 25, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=3.4.0 <3.4.7
  2. Affected versionversion=3.5.0 <3.5.8
  3. Affected versionversion=3.6.0 <3.6.4
  4. Affected versionversion=4.0.0 <4.0.2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

OpenSSL Project · OpenSSLversion=3.4.0 <3.4.7; version=3.5.0 <3.5.8; version=3.6.0 <3.6.4; version=4.0.0 <4.0.2

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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