CVE-2026-42769
Description
A flaw was found in the Certificate Management Protocol (CMP) implementation within OpenSSL. An attacker with existing Registration Authority (RA) level credentials could exploit an error in the certificate verification process during a Root Certificate Authority (CA) key update. This vulnerability allows the attacker to replace the root CA certificate for CMP clients with a fraudulent one. The primary consequence is an escalation of privileges, enabling the attacker to gain control equivalent to the root CA.
Statement
This issue has a Low impact as it requires an attacker to already possess valid Registration Authority (RA) level credentials to exploit. A flaw in the Certificate Management Protocol (CMP) root CA key update process could allow an RA to substitute the root CA certificate for CMP clients with an arbitrary certificate, potentially leading to a trust-anchor substitution. FIPS modules are not affected.
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.9 | N/A | 5.3 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | High |
| Privileges Required | High | N/A | Low |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Authentication
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism; Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
When a certificate is invalid or malicious, it might allow an attacker to spoof a trusted entity by interfering in the communication path between the host and client. The product might connect to a malicious host while believing it is a trusted host, or the product might be deceived into accepting spoofed data that appears to originate from a trusted host.
Frequently Asked Questions
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