OpenSSLFramework / library

CVE-2021-3711

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.1.1l or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In order to decrypt SM2 encrypted data an application is expected to call the API function EVP_PKEY_decrypt(). Typically an application will call this function twice. The first time, on entry, the "out" parameter can be NULL and, on exit, the "outlen" parameter is populated with the buffer size required to hold the decrypted plaintext. The application can then allocate a sufficiently sized buffer and call EVP_PKEY_decrypt() again, but this time passing a non-NULL value for the "out" parameter. A bug in the implementation of the SM2 decryption code means that the calculation of the buffer size required to hold the plaintext returned by the first call to EVP_PKEY_decrypt() can be smaller than the actual size required by the second call. This can lead to a buffer overflow when EVP_PKEY_decrypt() is called by the application a second time with a buffer that is too small. A malicious attacker who is able present SM2 content for decryption to an application could cause attacker chosen data to overflow the buffer by up to a maximum of 62 bytes altering the contents of other data held after the buffer, possibly changing application behaviour or causing the application to crash. The location of the buffer is application dependent but is typically heap allocated. Fixed in OpenSSL 1.1.1l (Affected 1.1.1-1.1.1k).

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-120

A fixed-size buffer is filled without checking the length of the incoming data, so it overflows into neighbouring memory. This is the classic overflow attackers use to overwrite return addresses and hijack execution. The fix is strict length checks and safe, bounded string and memory functions.

General guidance for the classic buffer overflow class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
OpenSSLFramework / library
Affected:>= 1.1.1, < 1.1.1l
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 10.0= 11.0
Active Iq Unified ManagerApplication
Affected:all versions
Clustered Data OntapApplication
Affected:all versions
Clustered Data Ontap Antivirus ConnectorApplication
Affected:all versions
E Series Santricity Os ControllerApplication
Affected:>= 11.0, <= 11.50.2
Hci Management NodeApplication
Affected:all versions
Manageability Software Development KitApplication
Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.1.1l or later
Fixed in 1.1.1l
Vendor patch www.oracle.com →
Recommended fix High confidence

OpenSSL 1.1.1l

  1. Identify all systems and applications using OpenSSL versions 1.1.1 through 1.1.1k that process SM2 encrypted data
  2. Inventory applications that call the EVP_PKEY_decrypt() API function for SM2 decryption
  3. Obtain OpenSSL version 1.1.1l or later from the official OpenSSL website (openssl.org) or trusted distribution package repositories
  4. Upgrade OpenSSL on all affected systems to version 1.1.1l or later
  5. Rebuild and redeploy any applications statically linked against the旧 OpenSSL library to use the updated version
  6. Verify the upgrade was successful by running 'openssl version' and confirming it shows 1.1.1l or later
  7. Test all applications that use SM2 decryption functionality to ensure correct operation after the upgrade
Caveat Minor; this is a security patch release with minimal API changes; thorough testing of SM2 decryption functionality is recommended

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $3,550. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-3711 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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