OpenSSL TLS 1.3 server may choose unexpected key agreement group
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · Low · Low
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 10 fixed, 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
Issue summary: An OpenSSL TLS 1.3 server may fail to negotiate the expected preferred key exchange group when its key exchange group configuration includes the default by using the 'DEFAULT' keyword. Impact summary: A less preferred key exchange may be used even when a more preferred group is supported by both client and server, if the group was not included among the client's initial predicated keyshares. This will sometimes be the case with the new hybrid post-quantum groups, if the client chooses to defer their use until specifically requested by the server. If an OpenSSL TLS 1.3 server's configuration uses the 'DEFAULT' keyword to interpolate the built-in default group list into its own configuration, perhaps adding or removing specific elements, then an implementation defect causes the 'DEFAULT' list to lose its 'tuple' structure, and all server-supported groups were treated as a single sufficiently secure 'tuple', with the server not sending a Hello Retry Request (HRR) even when a group in a more preferred tuple was mutually supported. As a result, the client and server might fail to negotiate a mutually supported post-quantum key agreement group, such as 'X25519MLKEM768', if the client's configuration results in only 'classical' groups (such as 'X25519' being the only ones in the client's initial keyshare prediction). OpenSSL 3.5 and later support a new syntax for selecting the most preferred TLS 1.3 key agreement group on TLS servers. The old syntax had a single 'flat' list of groups, and treated all the supported groups as sufficiently secure. If any of the keyshares predicted by the client were supported by the server the most preferred among these was selected, even if other groups supported by the client, but not included in the list of predicted keyshares would have been more preferred, if included. The new syntax partitions the groups into distinct 'tuples' of roughly equivalent security. Within each tuple the most preferred group included among the client's predicted keyshares is chosen, but if the client supports a group from a more preferred tuple, but did not predict any corresponding keyshares, the server will ask the client to retry the ClientHello (by issuing a Hello Retry Request or HRR) with the most preferred mutually supported group. The above works as expected when the server's configuration uses the built-in default group list, or explicitly defines its own list by directly defining the various desired groups and group 'tuples'. No OpenSSL FIPS modules are affected by this issue, the code in question lies outside the FIPS boundary. OpenSSL 3.6 and 3.5 are vulnerable to this issue. OpenSSL 3.6 users should upgrade to OpenSSL 3.6.2 once it is released. OpenSSL 3.5 users should upgrade to OpenSSL 3.5.6 once it is released. OpenSSL 3.4, 3.3, 3.0, 1.0.2 and 1.1.1 are not affected by this issue.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenSSL | OpenSSL | 3.6.0 to before 3.6.2; 3.5.0 to before 3.5.6 | 3.6.2, 3.5.6 | Patch available | CNA |
- OpenSSL VendorOpenSSL Affected 3.6.0 to before 3.6.2; 3.5.0 to before 3.5.6 Fixed in 3.6.2, 3.5.6 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 3
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:openssl:openssl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 3.5.0 to before 3.5.6; 3.6.0 to before 3.6.2 | Vulnerable | OpenSSL |
| cpe:2.3:o:siemens:simatic_cn_4100_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 5.0 | Vulnerable | Siemens |
| cpe:2.3:h:siemens:simatic_cn_4100:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Running on | Siemens |
- cpe:2.3:a:openssl:openssl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 3.5.0 to before 3.5.6; 3.6.0 to before 3.6.2 Vulnerable ·OpenSSL
- cpe:2.3:o:siemens:simatic_cn_4100_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 5.0 Vulnerable ·Siemens
- cpe:2.3:h:siemens:simatic_cn_4100:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Running on ·Siemens
Remediation
- Fix · CNA OpenSSL (OpenSSL) Fixed in 3.6.2, 3.5.6
Red Hat 13 advisories
- RHSA-2026:82888 Released 2026-10-14 · Red Hat rating Importantcert-manager Operator for Red Hat OpenShift 1.17.2
- Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.17 registry.redhat.io/cert-manager/cert-manager-operator-bundle
- RHSA-2026:82857 Released 2026-10-14 · Red Hat rating Importantcert-manager Operator for Red Hat OpenShift 1.18.2
- Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.18 registry.redhat.io/cert-manager/cert-manager-operator-bundle
- RHSA-2026:82372 Released 2026-10-13 · Red Hat rating Importantcert-manager Operator for Red Hat OpenShift 1.18.2
- Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.18 registry.redhat.io/cert-manager/cert-manager-operator-rhel9
Show 10 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2026:82354 Released 2026-10-13 · Red Hat rating Importantcert-manager Operator for Red Hat OpenShift 1.18.2
- Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.18 registry.redhat.io/cert-manager/cert-manager-istio-csr-rhel9
- RHSA-2026:82347 Released 2026-10-13 · Red Hat rating Importantcert-manager Operator for Red Hat OpenShift 1.18.2
- Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.18 registry.redhat.io/cert-manager/jetstack-cert-manager-acmesolver-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/cert-manager/jetstack-cert-manager-rhel9
- RHSA-2026:82322 Released 2026-10-13 · Red Hat rating Importantcert-manager Operator for Red Hat OpenShift 1.17.2
- Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.17 registry.redhat.io/cert-manager/cert-manager-operator-rhel9
- RHSA-2026:82304 Released 2026-10-13 · Red Hat rating Importantcert-manager Operator for Red Hat OpenShift 1.17.2
- Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.17 registry.redhat.io/cert-manager/jetstack-cert-manager-acmesolver-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/cert-manager/jetstack-cert-manager-rhel9
- RHSA-2026:43402 Released 2026-07-22 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat JBoss Web Server 6.2.4 release and security update
- Red Hat JBoss Web Server 6.2.4
- RHSA-2026:39189 Released 2026-07-14 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat JBoss Web Server 7.0.0 security release
- Red Hat JBoss Web Server 7.0.0
- RHSA-2026:27201 Released 2026-06-22 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat JBoss Core Services Apache HTTP Server 2.4.62 SP4 security update
- Red Hat JBoss Core Services 2.4.62.SP4
- RHSA-2026:22312 Released 2026-06-01 · Red Hat rating Moderateopenssl security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) openssl-devel-1:3.5.5-3.el9_8, openssl-perl-1:3.5.5-3.el9_8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) openssl-1:3.5.5-3.el9_8, openssl-libs-1:3.5.5-3.el9_8
- RHSA-2026:19066 Released 2026-05-19 · Red Hat rating Moderateopenssl security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) openssl-devel-1:3.5.5-2.el10_2, openssl-perl-1:3.5.5-2.el10_2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10) openssl-1:3.5.5-2.el10_2, openssl-libs-1:3.5.5-2.el10_2
- RHSA-2026:7261 Released 2026-04-09 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update
- Red Hat Hardened Images openssl-3.5.6-0.1.hum1@aarch64, openssl-3.5.6-0.1.hum1@src, openssl-3.5.6-0.1.hum1@x86_64 +10
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat JBoss Web Server 5 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.17 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:82304, RHSA-2026:82322, RHSA-2026:82888 |
| Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.18 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:82347, RHSA-2026:82354, RHSA-2026:82372, RHSA-2026:82857 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:19066 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:22312 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:19066 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:22312 |
| Red Hat Hardened Images | Fixed | RHSA-2026:7261 |
| Red Hat JBoss Core Services 2.4.62.SP4 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:27201 |
| Red Hat JBoss Web Server 6.2.4 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:43402 |
| Red Hat JBoss Web Server 7.0.0 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:39189 |
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-2673
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-wj64-gh9j-xm82
- 2026-10-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-09 Fix available: RHSA-2026:27201 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-14 Fix available: RHSA-2026:82304 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-14 Fix available: RHSA-2026:82322 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-14 Fix available: RHSA-2026:82372 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-14 Fix available: RHSA-2026:82354 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-14 Fix available: RHSA-2026:82347 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-15 Fix available: RHSA-2026:82857 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-15 Fix available: RHSA-2026:82888 · Red Hat
- 2026-10-16 Fix available: Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.17, Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.18, Red Hat JBoss Core Services 2.4.62.SP4 · Red Hat
References
More Openssl vulnerabilities
- TI-2022-01915 The c_rehash script allows command injection CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2021-02645 SM2 Decryption Buffer Overflow CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2009-03392 The TLS protocol, and the SSL protocol 3.0 and possibly earlier, as used in Microsoft… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2022-01176 The c_rehash script allows command injection CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2014-00154 The (1) TLS and (2) DTLS implementations in OpenSSL 1.0.1 before 1.0.1g do not properly… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2025-14107 Stack buffer overflow in CMS (Auth)EnvelopedData parsing CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-2673 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-2673 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-wj64-gh9j-xm82 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-2673 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences