Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • PC Hardware
    • Servers

    Heartbeat SSL Flaw Puts Linux Distros at Risk

    By
    Sean Michael Kerner
    -
    April 8, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Linux server security

      The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is at the foundation of all Web based communications, and when security flaws are found, immediate fixes are required. On April 7, the open-source OpenSSL project issued an advisory regarding a critical vulnerability that could potentially leave millions of users at risk.

      The flaw—identified as CVE-2014-0160 and called “TLS heartbeat read overrun”—has been present in OpenSSL since March 2012, but it was just recently discovered.

      However, the flaw has been unofficially dubbed “Heartbleed” by security research firm Codenomicon, which is the name that has caught on in most subsequent media reports.

      “A missing bounds check in the handling of the TLS [Transport Layer Security] heartbeat extension can be used to reveal up to 64k of memory to a connected client or server,” the OpenSSL advisory warns.

      OpenSSL is an open-source SSL library that is widely used in conjunction with Web servers and Linux distributions. The flaw was first reported by Neel Mehta of Google’s security team, and the OpenSSL project has issued a fix with the new OpenSSL 1.0.1g update.

      Researchers with security firm Codenomicon also claim to have discovered the flaw. In a Web page FAQ list on the Heartbeat flaw, Codenomicon explains that the CVE-2014-0160 bug is in the OpenSSL’s implementation of the TLS/DTLS, or Transport Layer Security/Datagram Transport Layer Security, heartbeat extension (RFC6520).

      “When it is exploited, it leads to the leak of memory contents from the server to the client and from the client to the server,” Codenomicon states.

      What that means is that sessions that were encrypted could be decrypted, thanks to a memory leak. Going a step further, given that most Web servers use a single-server key to encrypt SSL, all communications with a vulnerable server could potentially be at risk.

      Aside from updating to the new version of OpenSSL, Web server administrators should also consider implementing Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS). PFS is a technique that creates a new unique session key for each encrypted session that would limit the risk of retrospective decryption. (A recent eSeminars Live event offers insight on PFS).

      The other big issue with the Heartbeat flaw is how the bug was actually disclosed. Yes, the OpenSSL project only released its advisory after it had a fix, which is a good idea; however OpenSSL use is much wider than just the OpenSSL project. Each individual Linux distribution has its own packaged version of OpenSSL that needs to be updated, as well.

      I contacted Red Hat late in the afternoon on April 7, and at the time, they were aware of the issue but did not yet have a patch available for users. At 11 p.m., I received an email from Red Hat’s Fedora project notifying me that new OpenSSL packages were available to fix the flaw. Red Hat Enterprise Linux users got access to the patch early on April 8.

      While Red Hat and other Linux vendors did not have patches immediately available when the OpenSSL advisory was released, cloud security vendor CloudFlare did. In a blog post, CloudFlare claims to have fixed the CVE-2014-0160 flaw before it became public.

      “As one of the largest deployments of OpenSSL on the Internet today, CloudFlare has a responsibility to be vigilant about fixing these types of bugs before they go public and attackers start exploiting them and putting our customers at risk,” CloudFlare blogged.

      It is unclear how CloudFlare was able to get access to the flaw information before a big Linux vendor like Red Hat. A proper responsible bug disclosure process should have included all stakeholders so that all affected parties could issue a fix at the same time. With the CVE-2014-0160 flaw, there was a small window of exposure from the time the OpenSSL project issued its advisory and CloudFlare blogged on the issue, until Linux projects had patches available for users. That’s just not right and could have put millions of people at unnecessary risk.

      In any event, it is incumbent on all OpenSSL users to immediately make sure that they are not at risk today and have updated their servers.

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include the “Heartbleed” unofficial name for the “TLS heartbeat read overrun” flaw reported by the OpenSSL Project.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and contributor to several leading IT business web sites.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×