Is CVE-2023-0401 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2023-0401 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2023-0401 be exploited remotely?

Yes. CVE-2023-0401 is exploitable remotely over the network (CVSS attack vector: Network).

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-0401?

CVE-2023-0401 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH).

HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2023-0401

HIGH

CVE-2023-0401

CWE-476Published: February 8, 2023· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.5

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

A NULL pointer can be dereferenced when signatures are being

verified on PKCS7 signed or signedAndEnveloped data. In case the hash

algorithm used for the signature is known to the OpenSSL library but

the implementation of the hash algorithm is not available the digest

initialization will fail. There is a missing check for the return

value from the initialization function which later leads to invalid

usage of the digest API most likely leading to a crash.

The unavailability of an algorithm can be caused by using FIPS

enabled configuration of providers or more commonly by not loading

the legacy provider.

PKCS7 data is processed by the SMIME library calls and also by the

time stamp (TS) library calls. The TLS implementation in OpenSSL does

not call these functions however third party applications would be

affected if they call these functions to verify signatures on untrusted

data.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2023-0401 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 availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.5.