Re: CVE request: openssl timing attack

[Tomas Hoger <thoger () redhat com>]

On Mon, 4 Jul 2011 02:52:41 +0400 Solar Designer wrote:

> Question to OpenSSL developers: is the patch given in Billy Bob
> Brumley and Nicola Tuveri's paper "Remote Timing Attacks Are Still
> Practical" OK to be used by distros?  Basically, I am interested in
> its "review status" by upstream - reviewed and approved, reviewed but
> not approved for specific reasons, not sufficiently reviewed.  (The
> patch is tiny, but even tiny changes might have non-obvious
> implications.)

I'm not part of the group you directed this question too, but as I've
not seen any upstream developer or list in CC...

The fix from the paper was committed in openssl CVS within about a week
from public disclosure:

http://cvs.openssl.org/chngview?cn=20892

However, there were some concerns raised regarding the extra #ifdef
wrapping added as part of the commit, which disable the fix by default,
and the name suggests #ifndef was probably intended:

http://www.mail-archive.com/openssl-dev () openssl org/msg29283.html

HTH

-- 
Tomas Hoger / Red Hat Security Response Team