# CVE-2026-14457: RPK Server Signature Algorithm Selection Can Dereference a Missing Certificate

> A NULL pointer dereference in OpenSSL can cause a denial of service when using Raw Public Keys without a certificate.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 25 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2026-14457, BELL-CVE-2026-14457, CLEANSTART-2026-VP80967, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-14457, GHSA-6m2h-7hrp-6jw8, MINI-mmh4-ff68-p7mq, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-14457

## What is CVE-2026-14457?

CVE-2026-14457 is a high-severity vulnerability in Openssl Openssl, published on 25 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Issue summary: In a server or client configuration with RFC7250 Raw Public Keys (RPKs)
enabled, and only the private key (with no associated certificate) configured locally,
a NULL pointer dereference may occur when the remote peer solicits raw public keys and
also sends the typically omitted "signature_algorithms_cert" TLS extension.

Impact summary: The impact is limited to a possible Denial of Service as a result of
an application abort, no data disclosure or remote command execution are possible.

CWE: CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference

Description: While a passing comment in sample code in the documentation suggests
that key-only RPK configurations are supported, the best-practice RPK configuration
is to always configure a corresponding certificate (possibly self-signed or
signed by any convenient CA).

When the private key is configured along with a matching certificate, the
"signature_algorithms_cert" extension is handled reliably even without the
fix, and peer clients or servers that don't support raw public keys may be
able to complete a TLS connection by pinning or verifying the corresponding
certificate or its public key.

Deployments that prefer to configure just a private key with no certificate
need to upgrade to an updated release as noted below.

FIPS impact: no

No FIPS modules are affected by this issue, as the SSL protocol implementation
is outside the OpenSSL FIPS module boundary.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-14457?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Openssl Openssl.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-14457?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-14457 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-14457 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-2026-14457 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-14457 is a high-severity vulnerability in Openssl Openssl, published on 25 Aug 2026. 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-2026-14457 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-2026-14457/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-14457/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-14457
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-14457
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-14457

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-14457/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.