CVE-2023-3446
MEDIUMEPSS 93th pctlDescription
Issue summary: Checking excessively long DH keys or parameters may be very slow. Impact summary: Applications that use the functions DH_check(), DH_check_ex() or EVP_PKEY_param_check() to check a DH key or DH parameters may experience long delays. Where the key or parameters that are being checked have been obtained from an untrusted source this may lead to a Denial of Service. The function DH_check() performs various checks on DH parameters. One of those checks confirms that the modulus ('p' parameter) is not too large. Trying to use a very large modulus is slow and OpenSSL will not normally use a modulus which is over 10,000 bits in length. However the DH_check() function checks numerous aspects of the key or parameters that have been supplied. Some of those checks use the supplied modulus value even if it has already been found to be too large. An application that calls DH_check() and supplies a key or parameters obtained from an untrusted source could be vulernable to a Denial of Service attack. The function DH_check() is itself called by a number of other OpenSSL functions. An application calling any of those other functions may similarly be affected. The other functions affected by this are DH_check_ex() and EVP_PKEY_param_check(). Also vulnerable are the OpenSSL dhparam and pkeyparam command line applications when using the '-check' option. The OpenSSL SSL/TLS implementation is not affected by this issue. The OpenSSL 3.0 and 3.1 FIPS providers are not affected by this issue.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
Exploit Intelligence
High risk: more likely to be exploited than 93% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-606 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-5678 | Medium | 5.3 | 4.5% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2023-3817 | Medium | 5.3 | 3.0% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2024-43499 | High | 7.5 | 2.6% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2023-6237 | Medium | 5.9 | 2.3% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2026-1519 | High | 7.5 | 1.6% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2024-4603 | Medium | 5.3 | 1.1% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2023-3446?
Published advisories record a fix for 195 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2023-3446 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2023-3446 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 6.5% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 93% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2023-3446?
CVE-2023-3446 has a CVSS v3 base score of 5.3, rated medium. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2023-3446 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for openssl (Debian), edk2 (Rocky), edk2 (Red Hat / RHEL), edk2-aarch64 (Red Hat / RHEL), and 191 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-04-23.