Vulnerability identifier: #VU42419

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv3.1: 4.6 [CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2013-1445

CWE-ID: CWE-310

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
PyCrypto
Client/Desktop applications / Encryption software

Vendor: GNU

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote non-authenticated attacker to gain access to sensitive information.

The Crypto.Random.atfork function in PyCrypto before 2.6.1 does not properly reseed the pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) before allowing a child process to access it, which makes it easier for context-dependent attackers to obtain sensitive information by leveraging a race condition in which a child process is created and accesses the PRNG within the same rate-limit period as another process.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

PyCrypto: 1.0.0 - 2.5

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External links
http://www.debian.org/security/2013/dsa-2781
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2013/10/17/3
http://github.com/dlitz/pycrypto/commit/19dcf7b15d61b7dc1a125a367151de40df6ef175

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.