# CVE-2025-4575: The x509 application adds trusted use instead of rejected use

> A bug in the OpenSSL x509 tool incorrectly marks certificates as trusted instead of rejected, potentially bypassing intended usage restrictions.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 22 May 2025
- **Updated:** 22 May 2025
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2025-4575, BELL-CVE-2025-4575, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-4575, GHSA-v8qh-5c5w-48pp, JLSEC-2026-259, MINI-fg85-78mg-4566

## What is CVE-2025-4575?

CVE-2025-4575 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Openssl Openssl, published on 22 May 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Issue summary: Use of -addreject option with the openssl x509 application adds
a trusted use instead of a rejected use for a certificate.

Impact summary: If a user intends to make a trusted certificate rejected for
a particular use it will be instead marked as trusted for that use.

A copy & paste error during minor refactoring of the code introduced this
issue in the OpenSSL 3.5 version. If, for example, a trusted CA certificate
should be trusted only for the purpose of authenticating TLS servers but not
for CMS signature verification and the CMS signature verification is intended
to be marked as rejected with the -addreject option, the resulting CA
certificate will be trusted for CMS signature verification purpose instead.

Only users which use the trusted certificate format who use the openssl x509
command line application to add rejected uses are affected by this issue.
The issues affecting only the command line application are considered to
be Low severity.

The FIPS modules in 3.5, 3.4, 3.3, 3.2, 3.1 and 3.0 are not affected by this
issue.

OpenSSL 3.4, 3.3, 3.2, 3.1, 3.0, 1.1.1 and 1.0.2 are also not affected by this
issue.

Weakness: CWE-295 (Improper Certificate Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-4575?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Openssl Openssl.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-4575?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-4575 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-4575 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Openssl Openssl

- [CVE-2009-3245](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-3245/): Null dereference in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2006-3738](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-3738/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2026-63073](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-63073/): Untrusted Sender DN Used as Format String in CMP Response Validation (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2016-6309](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-6309/): Use after free in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2016-0799](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-0799/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-4575 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-4575 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Openssl Openssl, published on 22 May 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-4575 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Openssl Openssl. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-4575/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-4575/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-4575
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-4575
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-4575

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-4575/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.