5.3
MEDIUM
CVE-2021-43398
Cryptopp Timing Vulnerability in MakePublicKey
Description

Crypto++ (aka Cryptopp) 8.6.0 and earlier contains a timing leakage in MakePublicKey(). There is a clear correlation between execution time and private key length, which may cause disclosure of the length information of the private key. This might allow attackers to conduct timing attacks. NOTE: this report is disputed by the vendor and multiple third parties. The execution-time differences are intentional. A user may make a choice of a longer key as a tradeoff between strength and performance. In making this choice, the amount of information leaked to an adversary is of infinitesimal value

INFO

Published Date :

Nov. 4, 2021, 9:15 p.m.

Last Modified :

Nov. 21, 2024, 6:29 a.m.

Remotely Exploitable :

Yes !

Impact Score :

1.4

Exploitability Score :

3.9
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2021-43398 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Cryptopp crypto\+\+
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2021-43398.

URL Resource
https://cryptopp.com Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/issues/1080 Exploit Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/issues/1080#issuecomment-996492222 Exploit Issue Tracking Third Party Advisory
https://cryptopp.com Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/issues/1080 Exploit Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/issues/1080#issuecomment-996492222 Exploit Issue Tracking Third Party Advisory

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2021-43398 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2021-43398 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • CVE Modified by af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108

    Nov. 21, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://cryptopp.com
    Added Reference https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/issues/1080
    Added Reference https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/issues/1080#issuecomment-996492222
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Aug. 04, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    May. 17, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    May. 14, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Apr. 11, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Mar. 21, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Tag MITRE disputed
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Nov. 07, 2023

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed Description ** DISPUTED ** Crypto++ (aka Cryptopp) 8.6.0 and earlier contains a timing leakage in MakePublicKey(). There is a clear correlation between execution time and private key length, which may cause disclosure of the length information of the private key. This might allow attackers to conduct timing attacks. NOTE: this report is disputed by the vendor and multiple third parties. The execution-time differences are intentional. A user may make a choice of a longer key as a tradeoff between strength and performance. In making this choice, the amount of information leaked to an adversary is of infinitesimal value. Crypto++ (aka Cryptopp) 8.6.0 and earlier contains a timing leakage in MakePublicKey(). There is a clear correlation between execution time and private key length, which may cause disclosure of the length information of the private key. This might allow attackers to conduct timing attacks. NOTE: this report is disputed by the vendor and multiple third parties. The execution-time differences are intentional. A user may make a choice of a longer key as a tradeoff between strength and performance. In making this choice, the amount of information leaked to an adversary is of infinitesimal value
  • Modified Analysis by [email protected]

    Apr. 18, 2022

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed Reference Type https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/issues/1080#issuecomment-996492222 No Types Assigned https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/issues/1080#issuecomment-996492222 Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Dec. 17, 2021

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed Description Crypto++ (aka Cryptopp) 8.6.0 and earlier contains a timing leakage in MakePublicKey(). There is a clear correlation between execution time and private key length, which may cause disclosure of the length information of the private key. This might allow attackers to conduct timing attacks. ** DISPUTED ** Crypto++ (aka Cryptopp) 8.6.0 and earlier contains a timing leakage in MakePublicKey(). There is a clear correlation between execution time and private key length, which may cause disclosure of the length information of the private key. This might allow attackers to conduct timing attacks. NOTE: this report is disputed by the vendor and multiple third parties. The execution-time differences are intentional. A user may make a choice of a longer key as a tradeoff between strength and performance. In making this choice, the amount of information leaked to an adversary is of infinitesimal value.
    Added Reference https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/issues/1080#issuecomment-996492222 [No Types Assigned]
  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    Nov. 08, 2021

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V2 NIST (AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N)
    Added CVSS V3.1 NIST AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
    Changed Reference Type https://cryptopp.com No Types Assigned https://cryptopp.com Vendor Advisory
    Changed Reference Type https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/issues/1080 No Types Assigned https://github.com/weidai11/cryptopp/issues/1080 Exploit, Third Party Advisory
    Added CWE NIST CWE-203
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:cryptopp:crypto\+\+:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (including) 8.6.0
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2021-43398 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2021-43398 weaknesses.

Exploit Prediction

EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days.

0.19 }} 0.01%

score

0.57048

percentile

CVSS31 - Vulnerability Scoring System
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability