CVE-2016-20012
Publication date 15 September 2021
Last updated 24 July 2024
Ubuntu priority
Cvss 3 Severity Score
** DISPUTED ** OpenSSH through 8.7 allows remote attackers, who have a suspicion that a certain combination of username and public key is known to an SSH server, to test whether this suspicion is correct. This occurs because a challenge is sent only when that combination could be valid for a login session. NOTE: the vendor does not recognize user enumeration as a vulnerability for this product.
Status
Package | Ubuntu Release | Status |
---|---|---|
openssh | 22.04 LTS jammy | Ignored |
20.04 LTS focal | Ignored | |
18.04 LTS bionic | Ignored | |
16.04 LTS xenial | Ignored | |
14.04 LTS trusty | Ignored | |
openssh-ssh1 | 22.04 LTS jammy | Ignored |
20.04 LTS focal | Ignored | |
18.04 LTS bionic | Ignored | |
16.04 LTS xenial | Not in release | |
14.04 LTS trusty | Not in release |
Notes
seth-arnold
openssh-ssh1 is provided for compatibility with old devices that cannot be upgraded to modern protocols. Thus we may not provide security support for this package if doing so would prevent access to equipment. The upstream OpenSSH developers see this as an important security feature and do not intend to 'fix' it.
ccdm94
Reading through the comments in PR 270, which is now closed and has not been merged, it is possible to see that upstream does not plan on fixing this issue because it would introduce too many possible new problems.
Severity score breakdown
Parameter | Value |
---|---|
Base score | 5.3 · Medium |
Attack vector | Network |
Attack complexity | Low |
Privileges required | None |
User interaction | None |
Scope | Unchanged |
Confidentiality | Low |
Integrity impact | None |
Availability impact | None |
Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N |
References
Other references
- https://github.com/openssh/openssh-portable/pull/270
- https://github.com/openssh/openssh-portable/blob/d0fffc88c8fe90c1815c6f4097bc8cbcabc0f3dd/auth2-pubkey.c#L261-L265
- https://rushter.com/blog/public-ssh-keys/
- https://utcc.utoronto.ca/~cks/space/blog/tech/SSHKeysAreInfoLeak
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-20012