GHSA-xjxc-vfw2-cg96 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Use After Free vulnerability in openssl. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-xjxc-vfw2-cg96 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Use after free in openssl
Real-World Exposure
opensslReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects crates.io packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
An issue was discovered in the openssl crate before 0.10.9 for Rust. A use-after-free occurs in CMS Signing.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🦀crates.io | openssl | ≥ 0.10.8&&< 0.10.9 | 0.10.9 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for openssl. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update openssl to 0.10.9 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xjxc-vfw2-cg96 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-xjxc-vfw2-cg96 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-xjxc-vfw2-cg96. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-xjxc-vfw2-cg96 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-xjxc-vfw2-cg96 across crates.io dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.