OpenSSL 3.2+ NULL Deref in SSL_CIPHER_find() for QUIC
CVE-2025-15468 Published on January 27, 2026
NULL dereference in SSL_CIPHER_find() function on unknown cipher ID
Issue summary: If an application using the SSL_CIPHER_find() function in
a QUIC protocol client or server receives an unknown cipher suite from
the peer, a NULL dereference occurs.
Impact summary: A NULL pointer dereference leads to abnormal termination of
the running process causing Denial of Service.
Some applications call SSL_CIPHER_find() from the client_hello_cb callback
on the cipher ID received from the peer. If this is done with an SSL object
implementing the QUIC protocol, NULL pointer dereference will happen if
the examined cipher ID is unknown or unsupported.
As it is not very common to call this function in applications using the QUIC
protocol and the worst outcome is Denial of Service, the issue was assessed
as Low severity.
The vulnerable code was introduced in the 3.2 version with the addition
of the QUIC protocol support.
The FIPS modules in 3.6, 3.5, 3.4 and 3.3 are not affected by this issue,
as the QUIC implementation is outside the OpenSSL FIPS module boundary.
OpenSSL 3.6, 3.5, 3.4 and 3.3 are vulnerable to this issue.
OpenSSL 3.0, 1.1.1 and 1.0.2 are not affected by this issue.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2025-15468 is exploitable with network access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is consided to have a high level of attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality and integrity, and a high impact on availability.
Weakness Type
NULL Pointer Dereference
A NULL pointer dereference occurs when the application dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid, but is NULL, typically causing a crash or exit. NULL pointer dereference issues can occur through a number of flaws, including race conditions, and simple programming omissions.
Products Associated with CVE-2025-15468
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Affected Versions
OpenSSL:- Version 3.6.0 and below 3.6.1 is affected.
- Version 3.5.0 and below 3.5.5 is affected.
- Version 3.4.0 and below 3.4.4 is affected.
- Version 3.3.0 and below 3.3.6 is affected.
Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.