The vulnerability reported earlier (http://openssl.org/news/secadv_20071129.txt) cannot be patched in the usual way due to the requirements of the FIPS 140-2 validation program (the CMVP). Discussions on ways to craft a fix that will satisfy FIPS 140-2 with the least delay in approval have been underway for several days.
The situation is complicated by the fact that there is a second bug in the FIPS 140-2 mandated continuous PRNG self-test. This other bug does not constitute a security vulnerability, but the CMVP understandably requires that both bugs be corrected at the same time. FIPS 140-2 has the concept of an algorithm boundary around each separate algorithm implementation in addition to the overall crypto module boundary. Changes to code inside an algorithm boundary require considerably more time and effort for approval. We can implement a workaround for the CVE-2007-5502 vulnerability outside of any algorithm boundary, but cannot do the same for the self-test bug. As a consequence approval of a new distribution will take longer. How long is hard to estimate, perhaps as little as a couple of weeks. In the meantime the CMVP has effectively revoked the current v1.1.1 validation (http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/STM/cmvp/documents/140-1/140val-all.htm#733) by declaring the PRNG as non-compliant. Since essentially all cryptographic applications utilize a PRNG the entire v1.1.1 module is for all practical purposes revoked as well. This means vendors of software products using or based on the v1.1.1 PRNG will need to be patched or updated with the new v1.1.2 of the OpenSSL FIPS Object Module once that becomes available. It would be prudent to anticipate additional quasi-revocations of other validations for products derived from the v1.1.1 baseline. -Steve M. -- Steve Marquess Open Source Software Institute [EMAIL PROTECTED] ______________________________________________________________________ OpenSSL Project http://www.openssl.org Announcement Mailing List openssl-announce@openssl.org Automated List Manager [EMAIL PROTECTED]
