ssldump Heap Buffer Overflow in FAN/1 X.509 Fingerprint Formatting
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
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
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
Timeline
- 2026-10-16 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-111458
- 2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-16 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
- 2026-10-16 Alias added: GHSA-px2j-96c7-vxc7
- 2026-10-18 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-18 CVSS score added · Red Hat
References
Patch 1
Sources
- CVE-2026-111458 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-111458 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-px2j-96c7-vxc7 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-111458 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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