CVE-2025-9231 | Timing side-channel in SM2 algorithm on 64 bit ARM

Issue summary: A timing side-channel which could potentially allow remote recovery of the private key exists in the SM2 algorithm implementation on 64 bit ARM platforms. Impact summary: A timing side-channel in SM2 signature computations on 64 bit ARM platforms could allow recovering the private key by an attacker.. While remote key recovery over a network was not attempted by the reporter, timing measurements revealed a timing signal which may allow such an attack. OpenSSL does not directly support certificates with SM2 keys in TLS, and so this CVE is not relevant in most TLS contexts. However, given that it is possible to add support for such certificates via a custom provider, coupled with the fact that in such a custom provider context the private key may be recoverable via remote timing measurements, we consider this to be a Moderate severity issue. The FIPS modules in 3.5, 3.4, 3.3, 3.2, 3.1 and 3.0 are not affected by this issue, as SM2 is not an approved algorithm.

Published: 2025-09-30 Last update: 2026-06-02 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2025-9231 is rated Low Risk (26.8/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.01%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2025-9231

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-11-21 0.06% 0.01% -0.04%
2 2025-11-18 0.01% 0.06% +0.04%
3 2025-10-01 0.01%

Full EPSS history (3 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2025-9231

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
6.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:L)
Some sensitive info could get out, but not a total data dump.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
3.9 2.5 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2025-9231

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2025-9231

GHSA-9mrx-mqmg-gwj9 · Severity: medium — Issue summary: A timing side-channel which could potentially allow remote recovery of the private...

OS Trackers for CVE-2025-9231

vendor priority summary link
alpine CVE-2025-9231: 1 source package rows (openssl); 58 state rows across 5 repos (3.20-main, 3.21-main, 3.22-main, 3.23-main, edge-main); fixed 5, open 53. https://security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2025-9231
debian unimportant CVE-2025-9231 unimportant priority: Debian including 1 source packages (openssl), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2025-9231
redhat medium https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-9231
suse medium https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-9231/
ubuntu medium CVE-2025-9231 medium priority: Ubuntu including 4 source packages (edk2, nodejs, openssl, openssl1.0), 32 status rows across 9 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, noble, plucky, questing, trusty, upstream, xenial): not-affected 19, needs-triage 6, DNE 4, released 2, needed 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2025-9231

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2025-9231

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
No affected products in dataset.

References for CVE-2025-9231

cvelogic Threat Intelligence