OP-TEE is a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) designed as companion to a non-secure Linux kernel running on Arm; Cortex-A cores using the TrustZone technology. Starting in version 3.20 and prior to version 3.22, `shdr_verify_signature` can make a double free. `shdr_verify_signature` used to verify a TA binary before it is loaded. To verify a signature of it, allocate a memory for RSA key. RSA key allocate function (`sw_crypto_acipher_alloc_rsa_public_key`) will try to allocate a memory (which is optee’s heap memory). RSA key is consist of exponent and modulus (represent as variable `e`, `n`) and it allocation is not atomic way, so it may succeed in `e` but fail in `n`. In this case sw_crypto_acipher_alloc_rsa_public_key` will free on `e` and return as it is failed but variable ‘e’ is remained as already freed memory address . `shdr_verify_signature` will free again that memory (which is `e`) even it is freed when it failed allocate RSA key. A patch is available in version 3.22. No known workarounds are available.
This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.4, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity though user interaction is required . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from trustedfirmware organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
Reported in 2023, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.
2023-09-15T20:15:10.800
2026-06-05T20:13:25.387
Modified
CVSSv3.1: 7.4 (HIGH)
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | trustedfirmware | op-tee | < 3.22.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | trustedfirmware | op-tee | 3.22.0 | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For trustedfirmware's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.