CVE-2026-43823: When initializing an RSA public key from DER or PEM bytes throws an error, the EVP_PKEY* is double-freed: first in the catch block, then in the deinit.

When initializing an RSA public key from DER or PEM bytes throws an error, the EVP_PKEY* is double-freed: first in the catch block, then in the deinit.

When initializing an RSA public key from DER or PEM bytes throws an error, the EVP_PKEY* is double-freed: first in the catch block, then in the deinit. This can lead to a crash on future memory allocations. This double-free manifests when BoringSSL cannot decode the public key from the bytes provided. This vulnerability is addressed in swift-crypto version 4.5.1.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by product-security@apple.com

What it means for a small business

swift-crypto is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.43%, higher than 36% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 28, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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