OpenSSH’s Not-So-Secret: A Comedy of Errors in VerifyHostKeyDNS Vulnerability!
In the realm of cybersecurity, we’ve discovered a MitM attack against OpenSSH’s VerifyHostKeyDNS-enabled client. The attack hinges on a clever out-of-memory tactic, allowing a fake server to impersonate a real one while the client is none the wiser. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility—or at least a better firewall.
Hot Take:
OpenSSH, the internet’s trusty bouncer, has been caught with its pants down thanks to a couple of serious vulnerabilities. It’s like discovering that the guy guarding the nightclub is actually just a cardboard cutout! If you’re enabling VerifyHostKeyDNS, you might as well just open the door and invite the hackers in for tea. And if you’re not careful, your server might just pass out from exhaustion, thanks to a sneaky DoS attack. Looks like OpenSSH just got a one-way ticket to Awkwardville and took FreeBSD along for the ride, all expenses paid!
Key Points:
– OpenSSH’s VerifyHostKeyDNS feature is vulnerable to a MitM attack.
– Denial-of-Service (DoS) vulnerabilities found in OpenSSH can exhaust memory and CPU resources.
– The vulnerabilities affect both the client and server sides.
– Memory allocation issues can lead to bypassing server identity checks.
– Mitigations exist for servers but clients are left vulnerable.