CVE-2017-3204: Golang.org/x/crypto Golang.org/x/crypto/ssh Man-in-the-Middle Attack Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xhjq-w7xm-p8qj
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CVSS 8.1
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-3204 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) golang.org/x/crypto/ssh man-in-the-middle attack vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Golang.org/x/crypto libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves golang.org/x/crypto/ssh man-in-the-middle attack. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.0.0-20170330155735-e4e2799dd7aa.

CVE-2017-3204 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-3204
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xhjq-w7xm-p8qj
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Golang.org/x/crypto
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2017-3204

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Golang.org/x/crypto dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

golang.org/x/crypto fixed: 0.0.0-20170330155735-e4e2799dd7aa 
Upgrade golang.org/x/crypto to 0.0.0-20170330155735-e4e2799dd7aa
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for golang.org/x/crypto

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2017-3204, inspect your project dependencies for Golang.org/x/crypto:

inspect dependencies for golang.org/x/crypto

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Golang.org/x/crypto in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.0.0-20170330155735-e4e2799dd7aa), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In Golang.org/x/crypto, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

The Go SSH library (golang.org/x/crypto/ssh) by default does not verify host keys, facilitating man-in-the-middle attacks if ClientConfig.HostKeyCallback is not set. Default behavior changed in commit e4e2799 to require explicitly registering a hostkey verification mechanism.

CVE-2017-3204 Affected Golang.org/x/crypto Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.0.0-20170330155735-e4e2799dd7aa
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
golang.org/x/crypto
golang/golang.org/x/crypto
Go
< 0.0.0-20170330155735-e4e2799dd7aa
0.0.0-20170330155735-e4e2799dd7aa

References

NVD — CVE-2017-3204 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-3204
Golang.org/x/crypto Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/golang/go/issues/19767
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/golang/crypto/commit/e4e2799dd7aab89f583e1d898300d96367750991
Golang.org/x/crypto Security Information SECURITY
https://bridge.grumpy-troll.org/2017/04/golang-ssh-security
go.dev/cl/340830 WEB
https://go.dev/cl/340830
go.dev/cl/38701 WEB
https://go.dev/cl/38701
go.dev/issue/19767 WEB
https://go.dev/issue/19767
go.googlesource.com/crypto/+/e4e2799dd7... WEB
https://go.googlesource.com/crypto/+/e4e2799dd7aab89f583e1d898300d96367750991
godoc.org/golang.org/x/crypto... WEB
https://godoc.org/golang.org/x/crypto/ssh
pkg.go.dev/vuln/go-2020-0013 WEB
https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2020-0013
Golang.org/x/crypto Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20170423080311/https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/97481
NVD — CVE-2017-3204 NVD
https://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2017-3204

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-3204?
CVE-2017-3204 is a security vulnerability in Golang.org/x/crypto involving golang.org/x/crypto/ssh Man-in-the-Middle attack under General Security Weakness.
Which Golang.org/x/crypto versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.0.0-20170330155735-e4e2799dd7aa across affected packages: golang.org/x/crypto.
What version fixes CVE-2017-3204?
Upgrading to 0.0.0-20170330155735-e4e2799dd7aa (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is golang.org/x/crypto affected?
Yes, golang.org/x/crypto is affected in releases prior to 0.0.0-20170330155735-e4e2799dd7aa. Upgrade your dependency to 0.0.0-20170330155735-e4e2799dd7aa or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-3204?
CVE-2017-3204 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-3204?
CVE-2017-3204 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2017-3204?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for golang.org/x/crypto'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-xhjq-w7xm-p8qj",
  "modified" : "2024-04-19T21:43:20Z",
  "published" : "2023-02-07T22:39:34Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-3204" ],
  "summary" : "golang.org/x/crypto/ssh Man-in-the-Middle attack",
  "details" : "The Go SSH library (golang.org/x/crypto/ssh) by default does not verify host keys, facilitating man-in-the-middle attacks if ClientConfig.HostKeyCallback is not set. Default behavior changed in commit e4e2799 to require explicitly registering a hostkey verification mechanism.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "golang.org/x/crypto"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.0.0-20170330155735-e4e2799dd7aa"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-3204"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/golang/go/issues/19767"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/golang/crypto/commit/e4e2799dd7aab89f583e1d898300d96367750991"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bridge.grumpy-troll.org/2017/04/golang-ssh-security"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://go.dev/cl/340830"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://go.dev/cl/38701"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://go.dev/issue/19767"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://go.googlesource.com/crypto/+/e4e2799dd7aab89f583e1d898300d96367750991"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://godoc.org/golang.org/x/crypto/ssh"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2020-0013"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20170423080311/https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/97481"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2017-3204"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-02-07T22:39:34Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}