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Remote RSA Timing Attacks Practical

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the all-in-the-timing dept.

David Brumley and Dan Boneh writes "Timing attacks are usually used to attack weak computing devices such as smartcards. We show that timing attacks apply to general software systems. Specifically, we devise a timing attack against OpenSSL. Our experiments show that we can extract private keys from a OpenSSL-based server such as Apache with mod_SSL and stunnel running on a machine in the local network. Our results demonstrate that timing attacks against widely deployed network servers are practical. Subsequently, software should implement defenses against timing attacks. Our paper can be found at Stanford's Applied Crypto Group."

16 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. Oh Shiiiiiiit! by The+Mainframe · · Score: 4, Funny

    Great, and this after I've been bragging about my 'not-breakable for a billion years' 2048-bit key.
    $mouth . $foot

    --
    --Bennett Prescott
    Former Lord Of Packets
  2. How could OpenSSL be vulnerable to security attack by MisterFancypants · · Score: 4, Funny
    Microsoft didn't write OpenSSL..How could this be possible????

  3. Dan Boneh by blackmail · · Score: 3, Funny

    Is one smart cookie. He's also the only prof I wouldn't take a class from because it wasn't webcast. In other words you can't pause and rewind his live lectures. He talks real fast. And tilts his head at a 30 degree angle to his left.

  4. Umm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    That summary is so buzzword-rich I feel compelled to purchase a product, if one were offered.

  5. Re:Personal crypto? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Only if you type really, really fast.

  6. Where's the DMCA lawsuit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why don't all the OpenSSL folks sue these guys under the DMCA? It's good enough for Adobe, it should be good enough for Open Source folks, right?

  7. Re:How could OpenSSL be vulnerable to security att by minus_273 · · Score: 2, Funny

    if it makes you feel better, the TLS standard was a mix of MS PCT and SSL :)

    --
    The war with islam is a war on the beast
    The war on terror is a war for peace
  8. Re:I'm sorry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    mouth < foot

  9. Re:I'm sorry by Tailhook · · Score: 4, Funny

    A SQL varient of this is far more effective:

    insert into mouth values ('foot')

    --
    Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
  10. ROT-13+ by silvakow · · Score: 3, Funny

    Is there even a reason to be concerned with this when ROT-13+ is perfectly secure? It was recently expanded from regular ROT-13 so it doesn't only encrypt letters, so it should be good enough for any application.

    --
    In the long run, we're all dead.
    1. Re:ROT-13+ by iggymanz · · Score: 2, Funny

      For added security, I encrypted this post with Rot-13 *twice*

  11. Master's degree from Harvard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    GW Bush is trolling /.?

  12. Re:Personal crypto? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I should clarify though that it would only be possible if someone was on your system WHILE you were encrypting something or decrypting something that was encrypted with your key. It isn't /possible/ to execute this attack AFTER something is encrypted, only during the encrypting process.

    Someone tell me if I'm wrong...I might be, but I don't think I am...

    You shouldn't worry. Oh yea, and can you send that last email again please? I had to reboot and missed it.......

  13. hah, I win by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    All you fools who use OpenSSL, this thing cannot touch my 1337 telnet servers.

  14. Re:In a nutshell... by sql*kitten · · Score: 2, Funny

    I would like to take some time to shed some light on the topic for those of you who do not have an Master's degree from Harvard as I do.

    Harvard should teach a course on how to shut up about Harvard :-P

  15. Re:Personal crypto? by MullerMn · · Score: 2, Funny

    You shouldn't worry. Oh yea, and can you send that last email again please? I had to reboot and missed it.......

    Damn Windows-using crackers....