OpenSSL DH_check Denial of Service (CVE-2023-3817)
CVE-2023-3817 Published on July 31, 2023
Excessive time spent checking DH q parameter value
Issue summary: Checking excessively long DH keys or parameters may be very slow.
Impact summary: Applications that use the functions DH_check(), DH_check_ex()
or EVP_PKEY_param_check() to check a DH key or DH parameters may experience long
delays. Where the key or parameters that are being checked have been obtained
from an untrusted source this may lead to a Denial of Service.
The function DH_check() performs various checks on DH parameters. After fixing
CVE-2023-3446 it was discovered that a large q parameter value can also trigger
an overly long computation during some of these checks. A correct q value,
if present, cannot be larger than the modulus p parameter, thus it is
unnecessary to perform these checks if q is larger than p.
An application that calls DH_check() and supplies a key or parameters obtained
from an untrusted source could be vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack.
The function DH_check() is itself called by a number of other OpenSSL functions.
An application calling any of those other functions may similarly be affected.
The other functions affected by this are DH_check_ex() and
EVP_PKEY_param_check().
Also vulnerable are the OpenSSL dhparam and pkeyparam command line applications
when using the "-check" option.
The OpenSSL SSL/TLS implementation is not affected by this issue.
The OpenSSL 3.0 and 3.1 FIPS providers are not affected by this issue.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2023-3817 can be exploited with network access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality and integrity, and a small impact on availability.
Weakness Type
Unchecked Input for Loop Condition
The product does not properly check inputs that are used for loop conditions, potentially leading to a denial of service or other consequences because of excessive looping.
Products Associated with CVE-2023-3817
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Affected Versions
OpenSSL:- Version 3.1.0 and below 3.1.2 is affected.
- Version 3.0.0 and below 3.0.10 is affected.
- Version 1.1.1 and below 1.1.1v is affected.
- Version 1.0.2 and below 1.0.2zi is affected.
Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.