CVE-2025-32988: GnuTLS double-free in Subject Alternative Name export logic

CVE-2025-32988 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.5 · Published 2025-07-10

GnuTLS is a widely used security library that enables encrypted communications for websites and applications. A flaw in how it handles certain certificate data could allow an attacker to crash services or potentially corrupt system memory. This could lead to a service outage or provide a foothold for further malicious activity.

Technologies: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9. Vendors: Red Hat.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2025-32988 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2025-32988 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2025-32988?
Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.5, published 10 July 2025.
Which products and versions are affected?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 < 3.8.9-9.el10_0.14; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 < 3.6.16-8.el8_10.4; Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 < 3.8.3-6.el9_6.2.
Is there a fix for CVE-2025-32988?
A patch was published on 2025-07-08: GnuTLS 3.8.10 released with fix Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2025-32988 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2025-32988?
Check whether you run Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

Technical details

A double-free vulnerability exists in GnuTLS due to incorrect ownership handling in the export logic of Subject Alternative Name (SAN) entries containing an 'otherName'. When a malformed or invalid type-id OID is encountered, GnuTLS incorrectly calls asn1_delete_structure() on an ASN.1 node it does not own. This results in a double-free condition when the caller subsequently attempts to free the same structure. The flaw can be triggered via public GnuTLS APIs, and while it primarily results in a denial of service (crash), it may lead to memory corruption depending on the system's memory allocator behavior. The issue is resolved in GnuTLS version 3.8.10 and various vendor-specific patches.

Affected products

  • GnuTLS Project GnuTLS < 3.8.10
  • Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 < 3.6.16-8.el8_10.4
  • Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 < 3.8.3-6.el9_6.2
  • Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 < 3.8.9-9.el10_0.14

Timeline

  • 2025-07-08: patched: GnuTLS 3.8.10 released with fix
  • 2025-07-10: disclosed: CVE-2025-32988 published
  • 2025-09-17: advisory: Red Hat issued security advisories RHSA-2025:16115 and RHSA-2025:16116

References

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