CVE-2021-3450: Openssl src Certificate Check Bypass Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8hfj-xrj2-pm22
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CVSS 7.4
CWE-295
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-3450 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.4) certificate check bypass vulnerability (CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation) affecting Openssl src libraries in the crates.io ecosystem. The issue involves certificate check bypass in openssl-src. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 111.15.0.

CVE-2021-3450 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-3450
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8hfj-xrj2-pm22
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.4
CWE Classification CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation
Affected Product Openssl src
Package Ecosystem crates.io
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.4

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:N).

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 None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2021-3450

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

openssl-src fixed: 111.15.0 
Upgrade openssl-src to 111.15.0
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 openssl-src

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-3450, inspect your project dependencies for Openssl src:

inspect dependencies for openssl-src

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Openssl src in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 111.15.0), 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 CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation, where the product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate. In Openssl src, 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 X509_V_FLAG_X509_STRICT flag enables additional security checks of the certificates present in a certificate chain. It is not set by default. Starting from OpenSSL version 1.1.1h a check to disallow certificates in the chain that have explicitly encoded elliptic curve parameters was added as an additional strict check. An error in the implementation of this check meant that the result of a previous check to confirm that certificates in the chain are valid CA certificates was overwritten. This effectively bypasses the check that non-CA certificates must not be able to issue other certificates. If a "purpose" has been configured then there is a subsequent opportunity for checks that the certificate is a valid CA. All of the named "purpose" values implemented in libcrypto perform this check. Therefore, where a purpose is set the certificate chain will still be rejected even when the strict flag has been used. A purpose is set by default in libssl client and server certificate verification routines, but it can be overridden or removed by an application. In order to be affected, an application must explicitly set the X509_V_FLAG_X509_STRICT verification flag and either not set a purpose for the certificate verification or, in the case of TLS client or server applications, override the default purpose. OpenSSL versions 1.1.1h and newer are affected by this issue. Users of these versions should upgrade to OpenSSL 1.1.1k. OpenSSL 1.0.2 is not impacted by this issue. Fixed in OpenSSL 1.1.1k (Affected 1.1.1h-1.1.1j).

CVE-2021-3450 Affected Openssl src Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
111.15.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
openssl-src
 crates.io
≥ 111.11.0
< 111.15.0
111.15.0

References

NVD — CVE-2021-3450 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3450
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2021-09
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2021-08
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2021-05
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
www.openssl.org/news/secadv/2021032... WEB
https://www.openssl.org/news/secadv/20210325.txt
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-openssl-2021-GHY28dJd
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210326-0006
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202103-03
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://security.FreeBSD.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-21:07.openssl.asc
rustsec.org/advisories/rustsec-... WEB
https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2021-0056.html
psirt.global.sonicwall.com/vuln-detail/snwlid-... WEB
https://psirt.global.sonicwall.com/vuln-detail/SNWLID-2021-0013
mta.openssl.org/pipermail/openssl-a... WEB
https://mta.openssl.org/pipermail/openssl-announce/2021-March/000198.html
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CCBFLLVQVILIVGZMBJL3IXZGKWQISYNP
kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index WEB
https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10356
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
https://kb.pulsesecure.net/articles/Pulse_Security_Advisories/SA44845
Openssl src Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/alexcrichton/openssl-src-rs
git.openssl.org/gitweb/ WEB
https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff;h=2a40b7bc7b94dd7de897a74571e7024f0cf0d63b
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-389290.pdf
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/03/27/1
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/03/27/2
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/03/28/3
Openssl src Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/03/28/4

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-3450?
CVE-2021-3450 is a security vulnerability in Openssl src involving Certificate check bypass in openssl-src under CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation.
Which Openssl src versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 111.15.0 across affected packages: openssl-src.
What version fixes CVE-2021-3450?
Upgrading to 111.15.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is openssl-src affected?
Yes, openssl-src is affected in releases prior to 111.15.0. Upgrade your dependency to 111.15.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-3450?
CVE-2021-3450 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.4 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-3450?
CVE-2021-3450 is classified under CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation (The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.).
How can I check crates.io dependencies for CVE-2021-3450?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for openssl-src'. 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 
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  "id" : "GHSA-8hfj-xrj2-pm22",
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  "published" : "2021-08-25T20:54:00Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-3450" ],
  "summary" : "Certificate check bypass in openssl-src",
  "details" : "The X509_V_FLAG_X509_STRICT flag enables additional security checks of the certificates present in a certificate chain. It is not set by default. Starting from OpenSSL version 1.1.1h a check to disallow certificates in the chain that have explicitly encoded elliptic curve parameters was added as an additional strict check. An error in the implementation of this check meant that the result of a previous check to confirm that certificates in the chain are valid CA certificates was overwritten. This effectively bypasses the check that non-CA certificates must not be able to issue other certificates. If a \"purpose\" has been configured then there is a subsequent opportunity for checks that the certificate is a valid CA. All of the named \"purpose\" values implemented in libcrypto perform this check. Therefore, where a purpose is set the certificate chain will still be rejected even when the strict flag has been used. A purpose is set by default in libssl client and server certificate verification routines, but it can be overridden or removed by an application. In order to be affected, an application must explicitly set the X509_V_FLAG_X509_STRICT verification flag and either not set a purpose for the certificate verification or, in the case of TLS client or server applications, override the default purpose. OpenSSL versions 1.1.1h and newer are affected by this issue. Users of these versions should upgrade to OpenSSL 1.1.1k. OpenSSL 1.0.2 is not impacted by this issue. Fixed in OpenSSL 1.1.1k (Affected 1.1.1h-1.1.1j).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
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  } ],
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    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html"
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    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html"
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    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html"
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    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html"
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    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.openssl.org/news/secadv/20210325.txt"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-openssl-2021-GHY28dJd"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210326-0006"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202103-03"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.FreeBSD.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-21:07.openssl.asc"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2021-0056.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://psirt.global.sonicwall.com/vuln-detail/SNWLID-2021-0013"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://mta.openssl.org/pipermail/openssl-announce/2021-March/000198.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CCBFLLVQVILIVGZMBJL3IXZGKWQISYNP"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10356"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://kb.pulsesecure.net/articles/Pulse_Security_Advisories/SA44845"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/alexcrichton/openssl-src-rs"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff;h=2a40b7bc7b94dd7de897a74571e7024f0cf0d63b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-389290.pdf"
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    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/03/27/1"
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  "database_specific" : {
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    "severity" : "HIGH",
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    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-03-25T15:15:00Z"
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}