CVE-2021-3446: Medium severity Libtpms Project Libtpms vulnerability

Published Mar 16, 2021
·
Updated

A flaw was found in libtpms in versions before 0.8.2. The commonly used integration of libtpms with OpenSSL contained a vulnerability related to the returned IV (initialization vector) when certain symmetric ciphers were used. Instead of returning the last IV it returned the initial IV to the caller, thus weakening the subsequent encryption and decryption steps. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality.

Other sources

The commonly used integration of libtpms with OpenSSL contained a vulnerability related to the returned IV (initialization vector) when certain symmetric ciphers were used. Instead of returning the last IV it returned the initial IV to the caller. The fix for this required the copying of the last-used IV from OpenSSL so it can be return back to the caller and used in subsequent encryption and decryption steps. The side-effect of the fix is that previously chain-encrypted data will not be decryptable anymore with the TPM 2.

Reference and upstream patch: https://github.com/stefanberger/libtpms/commit/32c159ab53db703749a8f90430cdc7b20b00975e

Red Hat

Affected Software

5 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/libtpms<0.7.7
0.7.7
redhat/libtpms<0.8.2
0.8.2
Libtpms Project Libtpms<0.8.2
redhat Enterprise Linux=8.0
Fedoraproject Fedora=33

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/libtpms to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 0.7.7
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/libtpms to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 0.8.2
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade libtpms to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 0.8.2
  4. Compensating control

    If you used chain-encrypted data that relied on the buggy returned IV behavior, note the side-effect: previously chain-encrypted data will not be decryptable anymore with the TPM 2 after applying the fix.

Event History

Mar 25, 2021
CVE Published
via MITRE·06:45 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·06:45 PM
DescriptionWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·07:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2021-3446?

CVE-2021-3446 is a vulnerability found in libtpms in versions before 0.8.2.

2

How does CVE-2021-3446 affect software?

CVE-2021-3446 affects Libtpms Project Libtpms, Redhat Enterprise Linux 8.0, and Fedoraproject Fedora 33.

3

What is the severity of CVE-2021-3446?

CVE-2021-3446 has a severity rating of medium, with a value of 5.5.

4

What is the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) for CVE-2021-3446?

The CWEs associated with CVE-2021-3446 are CWE-330 and CWE-327.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2021-3446?

More information about CVE-2021-3446 can be found at https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1939664.

Contact

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