CVE-2026-42764: openssl Null Dereference — Fix

Description

Issue summary: Receiving a QUIC initial packet with an invalid token may trigger a NULL pointer dereference in the OpenSSL QUIC server with address validation disabled. Impact summary: NULL pointer dereference typically causes abnormal termination of the affected QUIC server process and a Denial of Service. If the address validation is disabled in the OpenSSL QUIC server implementation, an attacker can crash the server by sending an initial packet with an invalid or expired token. By default, the client address validation is enabled in the OpenSSL QUIC server implementation, which makes the default configuration not vulnerable to this issue. However if the SSL_LISTENER_FLAG_NO_VALIDATE is used with the SSL_new_listener() call, the address validation is disabled making the vulnerable code reachable. The FIPS modules in 4.0, 3.6, 3.5, 3.4, and 3.0 are not affected by this issue, as the affected code is outside the OpenSSL FIPS module boundary.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

7.5

HIGH

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

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0068

Probability of exploitation

0.48%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-476 CWE-476

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
openssl	openssl	3.5.0 — 3.5.7
openssl	openssl	3.6.0 — 3.6.3
openssl	openssl	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/5e3ed291b8af0b03d5d3b9e56a1da69a187e9729 https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/a45a0aba8095682c88ff4fc4a784892b8c6f0677 https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/bf29a458c1a231eca87e384c62b9c2553fa57a91 https://openssl-library.org/news/secadv/20260609.txt

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-42764? +

Issue summary: Receiving a QUIC initial packet with an invalid token may trigger a NULL pointer dereference in the OpenSSL QUIC server with address validation disabled. Impact summary: NULL pointer dereference typically causes abnormal termination of the affected QUIC server process and a Denial of Service. If the address validation is disabled in the OpenSSL QUIC server implementation, an attacker can crash the server by sending an initial packet with an invalid or expired token. By default, the client address validation is enabled in the OpenSSL QUIC server implementation, which makes the default configuration not vulnerable to this issue. However if the SSL_LISTENER_FLAG_NO_VALIDATE is used with the SSL_new_listener() call, the address validation is disabled making the vulnerable code reachable. The FIPS modules in 4.0, 3.6, 3.5, 3.4, and 3.0 are not affected by this issue, as the affected code is outside the OpenSSL FIPS module boundary. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-42764? +

CVE-2026-42764 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.5 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0068, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-42764? +

CVE-2026-42764 affects products from openssl, specifically: openssl. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-42764? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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