Certificate Validation Flaw in Mbed TLS by ARM
CVE-2020-36478

7.5HIGH

Key Information:

Vendor

Arm
Status
Mbed Tls
Vendor
CVE Published:
23 August 2021

What is CVE-2020-36478?

A flaw in Mbed TLS versions prior to 2.25.0 allows for erroneous validation of certificates due to the misleading interpretation of NULL algorithm parameters. When these parameters are misrepresented as an empty array of REAL, the system mistakenly considers the certificate valid, even if the actual parameters do not align. This could lead to the acceptance of fraudulent certificates, posing significant security risks to applications relying on proper certificate validation.

References

https://github.com/ARMmbed/mbedtls/releases/tag/v2.25.0
https://github.com/ARMmbed/mbedtls/releases/tag/v2.16.9
https://github.com/ARMmbed/mbedtls/releases/tag/v2.7.18

CVSS V3.1

Score:
7.5
Severity:
HIGH
Confidentiality:
None
Integrity:
High
Availability:
None
Attack Vector:
Network
Attack Complexity:
Low
Privileges Required:
None
User Interaction:
None
Scope:
Unchanged

Timeline

  • Vulnerability published

  • Vulnerability Reserved

.
CVE-2020-36478 : Certificate Validation Flaw in Mbed TLS by ARM