HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-46880
CRITICAL

CVE-2021-46880

CWE-295Published: April 15, 2023· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

x509/x509_verify.c in LibreSSL before 3.4.2, and OpenBSD before 7.0 errata 006, allows authentication bypass because an error for an unverified certificate chain is sometimes discarded.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-46880 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

openbsd2 product(s)
libresslopenbsd
Source: NVD CPE · 2 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
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Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/patches/7.0/common/006_x509.patch.sig
PATCHhttps://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/3f851282810fa0ab4b90b3b1ecec2e8717ef16f8
PATCHhttps://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/patches/7.0/common/006_x509.patch.sig
PATCHhttps://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/3f851282810fa0ab4b90b3b1ecec2e8717ef16f8

All References (8)

→
https://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/LibreSSL/libressl-3.4.2-relnotes.txtRelease Notes
→
https://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/patches/7.0/common/006_x509.patch.sigPatch
→
https://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/3f851282810fa0ab4b90b3b1ecec2e8717ef16f8Patch
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230517-0006/
→
https://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/LibreSSL/libressl-3.4.2-relnotes.txtRelease Notes
→
https://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/patches/7.0/common/006_x509.patch.sigPatch
→
https://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/3f851282810fa0ab4b90b3b1ecec2e8717ef16f8Patch
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230517-0006/

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-46880
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-295
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedApr 15, 2023

Related CVEs (CWE-295)

CVE-2026-4370
10.0
CVE-2022-37437
9.8
CVE-2022-42813
9.8
CVE-2022-34831
9.8
CVE-2022-31183
9.8
CVE-2023-42425
9.8

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2021-46880 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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