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Vulnerability record · CVE-2023-2975 · published 14 July 2023

CVE-2023-2975: Openssl improper authentication vulnerability

OOpenssl · Openssl

Issue summary: The AES-SIV cipher implementation contains a bug that causes it to ignore empty associated data entries which are unauthenticated as a consequence. Impact summary: Applications that use the AES-SIV algorithm and want to authenticate empty data entries as associated data can be misled by removing, adding or reordering such empty entries as these are ignored by the OpenSSL implementation. We are currently unaware of any such applications. The AES-SIV algorithm allows for authentication of multiple associated data entries along with the encryption. To authenticate empty data the application has to call EVP_EncryptUpdate() (or EVP_CipherUpdate()) with NULL pointer as the output buffer and 0 as the input buffer length. The AES-SIV implementation in OpenSSL just returns success for such a call instead of performing the associated data authentication operation. The empty data thus will not be authenticated. As this issue does not affect non-empty associated data authentication and we expect it to be rare for an application to use empty associated data entries this is qualified as Low severity issue.

5.3 CVSS 3.1 Medium EPSS 0.62% · top 51.8% CWE-354 · CWE-354CWE-287 · Improper authentication
5.3CVSS 3.1 base score
0.62%EPSS exploitation probability, 30 days
NoNot in CISA KEV
3Affected product versions listed by NVD
10References
17 Jun 2026Last modified by NVD

Description

Issue summary: The AES-SIV cipher implementation contains a bug that causes it to ignore empty associated data entries which are unauthenticated as a consequence. Impact summary: Applications that use the AES-SIV algorithm and want to authenticate empty data entries as associated data can be misled by removing, adding or reordering such empty entries as these are ignored by the OpenSSL implementation. We are currently unaware of any such applications. The AES-SIV algorithm allows for authentication of multiple associated data entries along with the encryption. To authenticate empty data the application has to call EVP_EncryptUpdate() (or EVP_CipherUpdate()) with NULL pointer as the output buffer and 0 as the input buffer length. The AES-SIV implementation in OpenSSL just returns success for such a call instead of performing the associated data authentication operation. The empty data thus will not be authenticated. As this issue does not affect non-empty associated data authentication and we expect it to be rare for an application to use empty associated data entries this is qualified as Low severity issue.

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

Affected products

3 vulnerable configurations from NVD's CPE data, grouped by vendor and product.

References

LinkTags
https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff;h=00e2f5eea29994d19293ec4e8c8775ba73678598 Patch
https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff;h=6a83f0c958811f07e0d11dfc6b5a6a98edfd5bdc Patch
https://www.openssl.org/news/secadv/20230714.txt Vendor Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/07/15/1
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/07/19/5
https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff;h=00e2f5eea29994d19293ec4e8c8775ba73678598 Patch
https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff;h=6a83f0c958811f07e0d11dfc6b5a6a98edfd5bdc Patch
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202402-08
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230725-0004/
https://www.openssl.org/news/secadv/20230714.txt Vendor Advisory

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Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database (record CVE-2023-2975), CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS (scores of 2026-10-09). This page is refreshed as NVD updates the record.