GHSA-HVC4-MJV4-5MW6
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2024-04-25 09:32 – Updated: 2026-05-12 12:31Issue summary: Checking excessively long invalid RSA public keys may take a long time.
Impact summary: Applications that use the function EVP_PKEY_public_check() to check RSA public keys may experience long delays. Where the key that is being checked has been obtained from an untrusted source this may lead to a Denial of Service.
When function EVP_PKEY_public_check() is called on RSA public keys, a computation is done to confirm that the RSA modulus, n, is composite. For valid RSA keys, n is a product of two or more large primes and this computation completes quickly. However, if n is an overly large prime, then this computation would take a long time.
An application that calls EVP_PKEY_public_check() and supplies an RSA key obtained from an untrusted source could be vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack.
The function EVP_PKEY_public_check() is not called from other OpenSSL functions however it is called from the OpenSSL pkey command line application. For that reason that application is also vulnerable if used with the '-pubin' and '-check' options on untrusted data.
The OpenSSL SSL/TLS implementation is not affected by this issue.
The OpenSSL 3.0 and 3.1 FIPS providers are affected by this issue.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2023-6237"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-606"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2024-04-25T07:15:45Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "Issue summary: Checking excessively long invalid RSA public keys may take\na long time.\n\nImpact summary: Applications that use the function EVP_PKEY_public_check()\nto check RSA public keys may experience long delays. Where the key that\nis being checked has been obtained from an untrusted source this may lead\nto a Denial of Service.\n\nWhen function EVP_PKEY_public_check() is called on RSA public keys,\na computation is done to confirm that the RSA modulus, n, is composite.\nFor valid RSA keys, n is a product of two or more large primes and this\ncomputation completes quickly. However, if n is an overly large prime,\nthen this computation would take a long time.\n\nAn application that calls EVP_PKEY_public_check() and supplies an RSA key\nobtained from an untrusted source could be vulnerable to a Denial of Service\nattack.\n\nThe function EVP_PKEY_public_check() is not called from other OpenSSL\nfunctions however it is called from the OpenSSL pkey command line\napplication. For that reason that application is also vulnerable if used\nwith the \u0027-pubin\u0027 and \u0027-check\u0027 options on untrusted data.\n\nThe OpenSSL SSL/TLS implementation is not affected by this issue.\n\nThe OpenSSL 3.0 and 3.1 FIPS providers are affected by this issue.",
"id": "GHSA-hvc4-mjv4-5mw6",
"modified": "2026-05-12T12:31:41Z",
"published": "2024-04-25T09:32:09Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-6237"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/0b0f7abfb37350794a4b8960fafc292cd5d1b84d"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/18c02492138d1eb8b6548cb26e7b625fb2414a2a"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/openssl/openssl/commit/a830f551557d3d66a84bbb18a5b889c640c36294"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-265688.html"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-331112.html"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-769027.html"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-915275.html"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240531-0007"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://www.openssl.org/news/secadv/20240115.txt"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/11/1"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
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