HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2003-0545

CRITICAL

CVE-2003-0545

CWE-415Published: November 17, 2003· Updated: Jun 16, 2026

9.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Double free vulnerability in OpenSSL 0.9.7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via an SSL client certificate with a certain invalid ASN.1 encoding.

Technical Analysis

CVE-2003-0545 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability

Attack VectorNetwork

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges Req.None

User InteractionNone

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

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

Affected Vendors & Products

OpenSSL1 product(s)

openssl

Source: NVD CPE · 2 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time

Offensive Security exploit database

GitHub PoC Search

Community PoC repositories

Rapid7 / Metasploit

Metasploit module search

Security advisories & exploits

Official NIST entry

CVE Program entry

External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttp://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2003-292.html

PATCHhttp://www.uniras.gov.uk/vuls/2003/006489/openssl.htm

PATCHhttp://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2003-292.html

PATCHhttp://www.uniras.gov.uk/vuls/2003/006489/openssl.htm

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/22249

ADVISORYhttp://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-2003-26.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/935264

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/8732

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/22249

ADVISORYhttp://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-2003-26.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/935264

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/8732

All References (20)

→

http://secunia.com/advisories/22249Broken Link · Vendor Advisory

→

http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21247112Broken Link

→

http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-2003-26.htmlThird Party Advisory · US Government Resource

→

http://www.debian.org/security/2003/dsa-394Broken Link

→

http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/935264Third Party Advisory · US Government Resource

→

http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2003-292.htmlBroken Link · Patch · Vendor Advisory

→

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/8732Broken Link · Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry

→

http://www.uniras.gov.uk/vuls/2003/006489/openssl.htmBroken Link · Patch · Vendor Advisory

→

http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2006/3900Broken Link

→

https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A2590Broken Link

→

http://secunia.com/advisories/22249Broken Link · Vendor Advisory

→

http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21247112Broken Link

→

http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-2003-26.htmlThird Party Advisory · US Government Resource

→

http://www.debian.org/security/2003/dsa-394Broken Link

→

http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/935264Third Party Advisory · US Government Resource

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2003-0545

CVSS Score9.8 / 10

SeverityCRITICAL

WeaknessCWE-415

CISA KEVNo

Affected1 vendor(s)

PublishedNov 17, 2003

Related CVEs (CWE-415)

CVE-2017-1000072

Recommended Actions

→Apply vendor patches immediately
→Monitor CVE-2003-0545 in threat intel feeds
→Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts

Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.

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