High Severity vulnerability present in OpenSSL version 3.x

Background / What has happened?

A buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2022-3786) and a buffer overrun vulnerability (CVE-2022-3602) has been identified in OpenSSL versions above 3.x.

OpenSSL is a widely used cryptographic and secure communication software library. OpenSSL is available on all Operating Systems (OS).

Exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a malicious actor to gain remote code execution rights on the host running OpenSSL and perform unauthorised actions. Additionally, a malicious email address can be crafted to exploit the vulnerabilities and cause a crash (denial of service).

Affected Australian organisations should apply the available patch immediately.

The Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) is not aware of any successful exploitation attempts against Australian organisations.

Mitigation / How do I stay secure?

Australian organisations that use OpenSSL versions above 3.x should review their patch status and update to the latest version. There are no known workarounds.

3rd Party vendor software may use OpenSSL and consultation should occur to patch the vulnerabilities.

Assistance / Where can I go for help?

The ASD’s ACSC is monitoring the situation and can provide assistance and advice as required. Organisations that have been impacted or require assistance can contact the ASD’s ACSC via 1300 CYBER1.