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Home >> Browse Vulnerability Assessment Database >> Red Hat Local Security Checks >> RHSA-2003-063: openssl

Vulnerability Assessment Details

RHSA-2003-063: openssl

Vulnerability Assessment Summary
Check for the version of the openssl packages

Detailed Explanation for this Vulnerability Assessment

Updated OpenSSL packages are available that fix a potential timing-based
attack.

[Updated 12 March 2003]
Added packages for Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES and Red Hat Enterprise
Linux WS

OpenSSL is a commercial-grade, full-featured, open source toolkit which
implements the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL v2/v3) and Transport Layer
Security (TLS v1) protocols as well as a full-strength, general purpose
cryptography library.

In a paper, Brice Canvel, Alain Hiltgen, Serge Vaudenay, and Martin
Vuagnoux describe and demonstrate a timing-based attack on CBC ciphersuites
in SSL and TLS. An active attacker may be able to use timing observations
to distinguish between two different error cases: cipher padding errors and
MAC verification errors. Over multiple connections this can leak
sufficient information to be able to retrieve the plaintext of a common,
fixed block.

In order for an attack to be sucessful a possible hacker must be able to act as a
man-in-the-middle to intercept and modify multiple connections which all
involve a common fixed plaintext block (such as a password), and have good
network conditions that permit small changes in timing to be reliably
observed.

These updated packages contain a patch provided by the OpenSSL group that
corrects this vulnerability.

Because server applications are affected by these vulnerabilities, we
advise users to restart all services that use OpenSSL functionality or
alternatively reboot their systems after installing these updates.

Solution : http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2003-063.html
Network Security Threat Level: High

Networks Security ID:

Vulnerability Assessment Copyright: This script is Copyright (C) 2004 Tenable Network Security

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