---
id: "VND-nodejs-openssl-fixes-in-regular-releases-jan2026"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: []
title: "Node.js: OpenSSL Security Advisory Assessment, January 2026"
severity: "high"
cvss: null
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "runtime"
products: [{"name": "node", "fixed": [], "affected": "", "ecosystem": "node"}]
ecosystems: ["node"]
tags: ["node", "node.js", "runtime", "self-hosted", "tls"]
not_affected_if: ["no-pfx-input", "pem-only-certificates"]
published_at: "2026-01-28T17:00:00+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-23T19:13:00+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-25T05:37:30+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nodejs", "url": "https://nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/openssl-fixes-in-regular-releases-jan2026", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-23T19:13:00+00:00"}]
---

# Node.js: OpenSSL Security Advisory Assessment, January 2026

Three OpenSSL flaws in PKCS#12 (PFX) certificate parsing affect Node.js on the v22, v24, v25 and main branches, and some on v20. An attacker who can supply a specially crafted PFX file to a TLS configuration could crash the process or, for CVE-2025-11187, overflow a stack buffer.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## Affected

- node:node affected ? fixed ?

## How to check

- Run `node --version` and compare against the fixed release listed in the Node.js advisory.
- Search the codebase for uses of the `pfx` option in TLS configuration (`tls.createServer`, `https.createServer`, `tls.connect`) and check whether the PFX input can come from untrusted sources.

## Fix

- Upgrade Node.js to a release that includes the OpenSSL update named in the Node.js advisory (fixed version unknown from the sources).
- Until upgraded, only load PFX files from trusted sources.

## Timeline

- 2026-10-23T19:13:00+00:00 nodejs https://nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/openssl-fixes-in-regular-releases-jan2026

## From the sources

Commercial support for versions past the Maintenance LTS phase is available through our OpenJS Ecosystem Sustainability Program partners OpenSSL Security Advisory Assessment, January 2026 TNJP The Node.js Project OpenSSL Security Advisory Assessment, January 2026 Summary
The OpenSSL project released a security advisory that includes 12 CVEs.
After assessment, we have concluded that three CVEs affect Node.js (severity Low to Moderate).
Given the limited attack surface, the OpenSSL updates will be included in
upcoming regular Node.js releases rather than dedicated security releases.
Analysis
All three vulnerabilities relate to how Node.js processes PFX (PKCS#12) certificate files,
which are used when configuring TLS connections via the pfx option.
An attacker would need to provide a specially crafted PFX file to trigger any of these issues.
Since PFX files typically come from trusted local sources (e.g., your own private keys
and certificates), the attack surface is limited in practice.
CVE-2025-11187: Stack buffer overflow in PBMAC1 MAC verification - Moderate
Branch OpenSSL Version Affected v20.x 3.0.15 No v22.x 3.5.4 Yes v24.x 3.5.4 Yes v25.x 3.5.4 Yes main 3.5.4 Yes
OpenSSL 3.0 (used by v20.x) does not support PBMAC1 and is therefore not affected.
CVE-2025-69421: NULL pointer dereference in PKCS12_item_decrypt_d2i_ex() - Low
Branch OpenSSL Version Affected v20.x 3.0.15 Yes v22.x 3.5.4 Yes v24.x 3.5.4 Yes v25.x 3.5.4 Yes main 3.5.4 Yes
This function is called internally by PKCS12_parse() . All branches are affected.
CVE-2026-22795: Type confusion during PKCS#12 parsing - Low
Branch OpenSSL Version Affected v20.x 3.0.15 Yes v22.x 3.5.4 Yes v24.x 3.5.4 Yes v25.x 3.5.4 Yes main 3.5.4 Yes
Both OpenSSL 3.0 and 3.5 are vulnerable. All branches are affected.
CVEs that do not affect Node.js
The following 9 CVEs do not affect Node.js on any branch:
CVE-2025-15467 (High, CMS AuthEnvelopedData): Node.js does not use CMS APIs.
CVE-2025-15468 (Low, SSL_CIPHER_find + QUIC): Node.js never calls SSL_CIPHER_find() .
CVE-2025-15469 (Low, openssl dgst truncation): Command-line tool only.
CVE-2025-66199 (Low, TLS 1.3 CompressedCertificate): Node.js builds with OPENSSL_NO_COMP on all branches, so certificate compression is disabled.
CVE-2025-68160 (Low, BIO_f_linebuffer): Node.js does not use this BIO filter.
CVE-2025-69418 (Low, low-level OCB): Node.js uses the EVP API, which the advisory confirms avoids the vulnerable path.
CVE-2025-69419 (Low, PKCS12_get_friendlyname): Node.js does not call this function; the advisory notes PKCS12_parse() uses a separate safe path.
CVE-2025-69420 (Low, TS_RESP_verify_response): Node.js does not use timestamp protocol APIs.
CVE-2026-22796 (Low, PKCS7_digest_from_attributes): Node.js does not call PKCS#7 signature verification APIs.
Contact and future updates
The current Node.js security policy can be found at https://github.com/nodejs/node/security/policy#security ,
including information on how to report a vulnerability in Node.js.
Subscribe to the low-volume announcement-only nodejs-sec mailing list at
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/nodejs-sec to stay up to date on
security vulnerabilities and security-related releases of Node.js and the
projects maintained in the
nodejs GitHub organization . Previous Tuesday, March 24, 2026 Security Releases Next Mitigating Denial-of-Service Vulnerability from Unrecoverable Stack Space Exhaustion for React, Next.js, and APM Users

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_Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai_