CVE-2023-2975 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting OpenSSL's AES-SIV cipher implementation. This vulnerability allows the cipher to ignore empty associated data entries, leading to the potential for unauthenticated data. The CVSS score for this vulnerability is 5.3, indicating a medium level of risk that organizations should take seriously. As applications increasingly rely on cryptographic functions, the implications of such vulnerabilities can be significant.
The vulnerability arises from a flaw in how the AES-SIV algorithm handles empty data entries. When applications use the AES-SIV algorithm and seek to authenticate empty data entries, they may be misled by the OpenSSL implementation, which ignores these entries. This could potentially lead to misconfigurations or security oversights in cryptographic operations.
Currently, there is no public exploit available for this vulnerability, nor is it listed in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) database. However, organizations using affected versions of OpenSSL should prioritize remediation efforts, especially if they are concerned about the integrity of their cryptographic implementations.
Given the potential risks, organizations should address this vulnerability as part of their priority patch cycle. Immediate action is recommended to ensure the security of cryptographic operations and data integrity.
Vulnerability Details
CVE-2023-2975 impacts the AES-SIV cipher implementation in OpenSSL, which contains a bug that causes it to ignore empty associated data entries. The official description notes that applications using this algorithm may be misled by manipulating empty data entries, as these are not authenticated by the OpenSSL implementation.
The CVSS score of 5.3 categorizes this vulnerability as medium severity, with an attack vector of 'NETWORK' and low attack complexity. This indicates that while the vulnerability can be exploited over the network, the complexity of such an attack is low.
The affected systems include OpenSSL versions from 3.0.0 to 3.0.9 and 3.1.0 to 3.1.1. Organizations are urged to review their deployment and ensure they are using a patched version of OpenSSL to mitigate this risk.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of CVE-2023-2975 is a flaw in the AES-SIV cipher implementation that neglects to authenticate empty associated data entries. The attack vector is network-based, and the complexity of exploiting this vulnerability is low. No user interaction is required, and the attacker does not need any privileges to exploit this vulnerability.
The implications of this vulnerability primarily affect the integrity of data. While there is no confidentiality or availability impact, the integrity of the authenticated data may be compromised if empty entries are manipulated.
Risk & Impact Analysis
Risk to organizations includes the potential for unauthorized modification of data due to unauthenticated empty associated data. As organizations increasingly rely on cryptographic functions, the significance of this vulnerability cannot be understated. The blast radius may vary depending on how widely the affected OpenSSL versions are deployed across critical applications.
Given that this vulnerability has a CVSS score of 5.3, organizations should address it in their priority patch cycle. Although the likelihood of exploitation may be low, the impact on integrity can be significant, particularly in applications where data integrity is paramount.
Exploitation Status
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
Affected versions include OpenSSL from 3.0.0 to 3.0.9 and 3.1.0 to 3.1.1. Additionally, products such as NetApp's management services for element software and ONTAP Select deploy administration utility are also impacted.
Mitigation & Remediation
Organizations should prioritize patching OpenSSL to the latest versions that address this vulnerability. It is recommended to upgrade to versions beyond 3.0.9 and 3.1.1 to ensure the integrity of cryptographic functions. If immediate patching is not feasible, organizations should implement configuration hardening and network controls to mitigate potential risks.
For further guidance, organizations may consider engaging in continuous security testing to identify any additional weaknesses.
Detection Guidance
To detect potential exploitation of this vulnerability, organizations should monitor logs for any unusual cryptographic operations or integrity checks. Behavioral anomalies in applications utilizing OpenSSL for encryption and decryption should also be investigated. Additionally, network signatures associated with unauthorized access attempts should be recorded.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
CVE-2023-2975 highlights the importance of robust cryptographic implementations in software. The vulnerability serves as a reminder for security teams to regularly assess their cryptographic libraries and validate that they are using secure and up-to-date versions.
Organizations can benefit from establishing a comprehensive vulnerability management program to proactively identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.
In addition, integrating penetration testing methodologies can help organizations validate the security of their applications and cryptographic implementations.
Finally, the adoption of robust security practices and continuous improvement of security posture is essential for safeguarding against emerging vulnerabilities.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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