CVE-2018-8970: High severity OpenBSD LibreSSL vulnerability

Published Mar 24, 2018

Updated

The intx509paramsethosts function in lib/libcrypto/x509/x509vpm.c in LibreSSL 2.7.0 before 2.7.1 does not support a certain special case of a zero name length, which causes silent omission of hostname verification, and consequently allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof servers and obtain sensitive information via a crafted certificate. NOTE: the LibreSSL documentation indicates that this special case is supported, but the BoringSSL documentation does not.

Affected Software

1 affected component

OpenBSD LibreSSL=2.7.0

Remediation

Patch Available

https://github.com/libressl-portable/openbsd/commit/0654414afcce51a16d35d05060190a3ec4618d42

Event History

Mar 24, 2018

CVE Published

via MITRE·09:00 PM

Data Sourced

via MITRE·09:00 PM

Description

Data Sourced

via NVD·09:29 PM

RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-8970?

CVE-2018-8970 is a vulnerability in the LibreSSL library that allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof servers and obtain sensitive information.

What is the severity of CVE-2018-8970?

The severity of CVE-2018-8970 is high with a CVSS score of 7.4.

How does CVE-2018-8970 work?

CVE-2018-8970 occurs due to a special case of a zero name length in the int_x509_param_set_hosts function, which causes silent omission of hostname verification.

Which software versions are affected by CVE-2018-8970?

OpenBSD LibreSSL version 2.7.0 is affected by CVE-2018-8970.

How can I fix CVE-2018-8970?

To fix CVE-2018-8970, upgrade to LibreSSL version 2.7.1 or later.