CVE-2024-1544: wolfssl (CVSS 4.1)

Description

Generating the ECDSA nonce k samples a random number r and then truncates this randomness with a modular reduction mod n where n is the order of the elliptic curve. Meaning k = r mod n. The division used during the reduction estimates a factor q_e by dividing the upper two digits (a digit having e.g. a size of 8 byte) of r by the upper digit of n and then decrements q_e in a loop until it has the correct size. Observing the number of times q_e is decremented through a control-flow revealing side-channel reveals a bias in the most significant bits of k. Depending on the curve this is either a negligible bias or a significant bias large enough to reconstruct k with lattice reduction methods. For SECP160R1, e.g., we find a bias of 15 bits.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

4.1

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-203 CWE-203

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
wolfssl	wolfssl	< 5.7.2

References

Other References

https://github.com/wolfSSL/wolfssl/pull/7020 https://github.com/wolfSSL/wolfssl/releases/tag/v5.7.2-stable

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-1544? +

Generating the ECDSA nonce k samples a random number r and then truncates this randomness with a modular reduction mod n where n is the order of the elliptic curve. Meaning k = r mod n. The division used during the reduction estimates a factor q_e by dividing the upper two digits (a digit having e.g. a size of 8 byte) of r by the upper digit of n and then decrements q_e in a loop until it has the correct size. Observing the number of times q_e is decremented through a control-flow revealing side-channel reveals a bias in the most significant bits of k. Depending on the curve this is either a negligible bias or a significant bias large enough to reconstruct k with lattice reduction methods. For SECP160R1, e.g., we find a bias of 15 bits. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.1 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2024-1544? +

CVE-2024-1544 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 4.1 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.

What products are affected by CVE-2024-1544? +

CVE-2024-1544 affects products from wolfssl, specifically: wolfssl. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2024-1544? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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