REDHAT-BUG-2456288: High severity Botan Botan vulnerability

Published Apr 7, 2026
·
Updated

Botan is a C++ cryptography library. In 3.11.0, the function CertificateStore::certificateknown had a misleading name; it would return true if any certificate in the store had a DN (and subject key identifier, if set) matching that of the argument. It did not check that the cert it found and the cert it was passed were actually the same certificate. In 3.11.0 an extension of path validation logic was made which assumed that certificateknown only returned true if the certificates were in fact identical. The impact is that if an end entity certificate is presented, and its DN (and subject key identifier, if set) match that of any trusted root, the end entity certificate is accepted immediately as if it itself were a trusted root. , This vulnerability is fixed in 3.11.1.

Affected Software

1 affected component
Botan Botan>3.11.0<=3.11.1

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade Botan to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 3.11.1

Event History

Apr 7, 2026
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·10:02 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of REDHAT-BUG-2456288?

The severity of REDHAT-BUG-2456288 is classified as high, with a score of 7.

2

How do I fix REDHAT-BUG-2456288?

To fix REDHAT-BUG-2456288, update to a later version of the Botan library where this issue has been addressed.

3

What is the main issue with REDHAT-BUG-2456288?

The main issue with REDHAT-BUG-2456288 is that a function has a misleading name and does not perform the correct certificate checks.

4

Is REDHAT-BUG-2456288 present in older versions of Botan?

Yes, REDHAT-BUG-2456288 is found in version 3.11.0 of the Botan library.

5

What impact does REDHAT-BUG-2456288 have on security?

REDHAT-BUG-2456288 can lead to potential false positives in certificate validation, which poses a security risk.

Contact

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