CVE-2025-9820
MediumCVSS 4.0Exploitation Probability (EPSS)
Low risk11th percentile - higher than 11% of all known CVEs
Summary
A flaw was found in the GnuTLS library in the gnutls_pkcs11_token_init() function handling PKCS#11 token initialization. Processing a token label longer than expected causes a stack buffer overflow, potentially leading to application crashes or code execution.
Risk Assessment
The organization is at risk of denial of service (DoS) and local privilege escalation attacks if applications using GnuTLS process malicious PKCS#11 tokens. This could disrupt services or allow system compromise.
Recommendation
Update GnuTLS library to the latest patched version immediately. Restrict PKCS#11 function access to trusted sources only.
Other vulnerabilities in GnuTLS
See all- CVE-2016-4456High
The 'GNUTLS_KEYLOGFILE' environment variable in gnutls 3.4.12 allows remote attackers to overwrite and corrupt arbitrary files in the filesystem.
- CVE-2017-7507High
GnuTLS version 3.5.12 and earlier is vulnerable to a NULL pointer dereference while decoding a status response TLS extension with valid contents. This could lead to a crash of the GnuTLS server application.
- CVE-2017-7869High
GnuTLS before February 20, 2017, has an out-of-bounds write caused by an integer overflow and heap-based buffer overflow related to the cdk_pkt_read function in opencdk/read-packet.c. This issue is a subset of the vendor's GNUTLS-SA-2017-3 report and is fixed in version 3.5.10.
- CVE-2017-5335High
The stream reading functions in lib/opencdk/read-packet.c in GnuTLS before 3.3.26 and 3.5.x before 3.5.8 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-memory error and crash) via a crafted OpenPGP certificate.
- CVE-2016-7444High
The gnutls_ocsp_resp_check_crt function in GnuTLS before 3.4.15 and 3.5.x before 3.5.4 does not verify the serial length of an OCSP response, which might allow remote attackers to bypass an intended certificate validation mechanism.
- CVE-2015-3308High
A double free vulnerability in lib/x509/x509_ext.c in GnuTLS before version 3.3.14 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted CRL distribution point.
- CVE-2024-28834Medium
A flaw was found in GnuTLS related to the Minerva attack, a cryptographic vulnerability that exploits deterministic behavior, leading to side-channel leaks. In specific scenarios, such as using the GNUTLS_PRIVKEY_FLAG_REPRODUCIBLE flag, it can result in a noticeable step in nonce values.
- CVE-2017-5337Critical
Multiple heap-based buffer overflows in the read_attribute function in GnuTLS before 3.3.26 and 3.5.x before 3.5.8 allow remote attackers to have unspecified impact via a crafted OpenPGP certificate.
- CVE-2017-5336Critical
A stack-based buffer overflow in the cdk_pk_get_keyid function in lib/opencdk/pubkey.c in GnuTLS before 3.3.26 and 3.5.x before 3.5.8 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via a crafted OpenPGP certificate.
- CVE-2017-5334Critical
A double free vulnerability in the gnutls_x509_ext_import_proxy function in GnuTLS before 3.3.26 and 3.5.x before 3.5.8 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via crafted policy language information in an X.509 certificate with a Proxy Certificate Information extension.
Original NVD description (English source)
A flaw was found in the GnuTLS library, specifically in the gnutls_pkcs11_token_init() function that handles PKCS#11 token initialization. When a token label longer than expected is processed, the function writes past the end of a fixed-size stack buffer. This programming error can cause the application using GnuTLS to crash or, in certain conditions, be exploited for code execution. As a result, systems or applications relying on GnuTLS may be vulnerable to a denial of service or local privilege escalation attacks.