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ssldump Heap Buffer Overflow in FAN/1 X.509 Fingerprint Formatting

Priority LOW 29CWE-122Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Local
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Active
Attack complexity
Low
Attack requirements
None
Impact type
—
Confidentiality · integrity · availability
None · High · High
Fix status
No fix listed

Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA.

Summary

The fanx_fingerprint function in ssl/sslxprint.c of ssldump allocates a heap buffer for FAN/1 X.509 certificate fingerprints, sized as strlen(b64) + strlen(hex) + 31. The format string "fan1:x509:server:passive:%s:sha256:%s" needs strlen(b64) + strlen(hex) + 34 bytes, so sprintf writes 3 bytes past the buffer on every call with valid inputs. An attacker who supplies a crafted pcap file with a TLS X.509 certificate to a user running ssldump with FAN/1 fingerprinting enabled (-j -N) can trigger the overflow. The result is a crash (denial of service) or, in the worst case, arbitrary code execution as that user, and CVSS 4.0 rates it 6.8 (MEDIUM).

Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28

Description from the CNA

The fanx_fingerprint function in ssl/sslxprint.c of ssldump allocates a heap buffer for formatting FAN/1 X.509 certificate fingerprints. The allocation size is computed as strlen(b64) + strlen(hex) + 31, but the format string "fan1:x509:server:passive:%s:sha256:%s" contains 33 fixed characters in addition to the two variable-length fields and a null terminator, requiring strlen(b64) + strlen(hex) + 34 bytes. This miscalculation results in a 3-byte heap-based buffer overflow on every invocation of the function with valid inputs. The overflow occurs because sprintf writes the full formatted string into the undersized heap buffer without bounds checking. An attacker who can supply a crafted pcap file containing a TLS X.509 certificate to a user running ssldump with FAN/1 fingerprinting enabled (for example with the -j -N options) can trigger the overflow. The resulting heap corruption may lead to denial of service through a crash or, in a worst-case scenario, arbitrary code execution in the context of the user running ssldump. The vulnerability is deterministic and requires no special privileges beyond the ability to provide input to the tool.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00094 0th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix No fix listed No fixed version in the sources yet

SSVC decision points

CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3

Exploitation
None
Automatable
No
Technical impact
Partial

The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.

Affected products

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
adulaussldumpup to 1.9.0—No fix listedCNA
  • ssldump Vendoradulau Affected up to 1.9.0 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA

CPE names CNA · 1

CPEVersionsRoleVendor
cpe:2.3:a:adulau:ssldump:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*——adulau
  • cpe:2.3:a:adulau:ssldump:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions — — ·adulau

Remediation

No fixed version is listed for ssldump from 0 through 1.9.0. Until a fix is available, do not run ssldump with FAN/1 fingerprinting (-j -N) on untrusted pcap files.

Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-28

Vendor assessments

Red Hat

Red Hat's page for this CVE →

Not affected: 1 product
  • Red Hat

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-16 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-111458
  2. 2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
  3. 2026-10-16 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
  4. 2026-10-16 Alias added: GHSA-px2j-96c7-vxc7
  5. 2026-10-18 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
  6. 2026-10-18 CVSS score added · Red Hat

References

Sources