Which OpenSSL Versions Are Vulnerable? The Full List and Mitigation Guide for Developers and Admins

By CyberDudeBivash • October 02, 2025, 12:30 PM IST • Patching & Mitigation Guide

Following our **critical alert on the three new OpenSSL vulnerabilities**, the immediate, burning question for every system administrator and developer is: “Am I affected, and how do I fix it?” The discovery of a pre-auth RCE (CVE-2025-60661) and a private key leak flaw has created an internet-wide emergency patching event. This is not the time for ambiguity. This is your definitive, no-nonsense tactical guide. Below you will find the full list of vulnerable and patched versions, a step-by-step patching guide for major Linux distributions, and crucial advice for developers on the hidden danger of statically linked libraries.

Disclosure: This is a technical mitigation guide. It contains affiliate links to relevant security solutions and training. Your support helps fund our independent research.

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Mitigation Guide: Table of Contents

THE VULNERABLE VERSIONS LIST

According to the OpenSSL Project’s advisory, the following versions are affected by the new critical vulnerabilities, including the pre-auth RCE (CVE-2025-60661). If you are running any version in these ranges, you must upgrade immediately.

OpenSSL 3.2 Series: Versions 3.2.0, 3.2.1, 3.2.2
OpenSSL 3.1 Series: Versions 3.1.0, 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 3.1.4, 3.1.5, 3.1.6, 3.1.7
OpenSSL 3.0 Series: Versions 3.0.0 through 3.0.14

Note on OpenSSL 1.1.1: This version is End of Life (EOL) but is **NOT** affected by this specific set of vulnerabilities. However, since it is no longer receiving any security updates, you should already be planning your migration to a supported branch.

THE PATCHED (SAFE) VERSIONS LIST

The OpenSSL Project has released the following versions to address these critical flaws. You must upgrade to one of these versions or a version provided by your OS vendor that incorporates these fixes.

OpenSSL 3.2.3
OpenSSL 3.1.8
OpenSSL 3.0.15

The Defender’s Playbook: A 4-Step Mitigation and Patching Guide

Follow these steps for every Linux server and appliance in your environment.

Step 1: IDENTIFY Your OpenSSL Version

This will output the version of the shared OpenSSL library. Compare this against the vulnerable list above.

Step 2: PATCH Your System Using the Package Manager

Use your distribution’s package manager to install the updated library.
For Debian/Ubuntu systems:
`sudo apt update && sudo apt install –only-upgrade libssl3`
For RHEL/CentOS/Fedora systems:
`sudo yum update openssl` or `sudo dnf update openssl`

Step 3: RESTART SERVICES or REBOOT (CRITICAL STEP)

A patch is useless until the running services are using the new library. Any service that was running before you patched (like your web server or VPN server) is still using the old, vulnerable version of `libssl.so` in its memory. You **MUST** restart these services.

The simplest and most reliable way to ensure all services are using the new library is to perform a full system **reboot**.

Step 4: VERIFY the Update

After the restart, log back in and run `openssl version` again to confirm that your system is now reporting the new, patched version.

The Developer’s Challenge: The Danger of Statically Linked Dependencies

For developers and AppSec professionals, the work is harder. If you have applications that are **statically linked** against OpenSSL (common in C/C++, Go, and other compiled applications), the OS-level patch will **NOT** protect them. The application has its own private, vulnerable copy of the OpenSSL library built directly into its executable.

You must:

Use a Software Composition Analysis (SCA) tool or manually audit your build dependencies to identify all applications that are using a vulnerable version of OpenSSL.
Update the library in your source code and **re-compile and re-deploy** every single affected application.

This is a difficult and time-consuming process, and it is a powerful argument for using dynamically linked, OS-provided libraries whenever possible.

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About the Author

CyberDudeBivash is a cybersecurity strategist and researcher with over 15 years of experience in cryptography, application security, and incident response. He provides strategic advisory services to CISOs and boards across the APAC region. [Last Updated: October 02, 2025]

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