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🛡️ CVE-2023-5981 — debian-linux

🟡 CVSS 5.9 — Medium ✅ No Known Exploit CWE-208 NVD
5.9
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

A vulnerability was found that the response times to malformed ciphertexts in RSA-PSK ClientKeyExchange differ from response times of ciphertexts with correct PKCS#1 v1.5 padding.

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is high, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality high, integrity none, availability none.

CVSS metrics in full

The score comes from this vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

  • Attack vector: Network — reachable from anywhere that can route to the service.
  • Attack complexity: High — the attacker first has to win a race, learn a secret or otherwise prepare the target.
  • Privileges required: None — an unauthenticated stranger can try it.
  • User interaction: None — nobody has to be tricked into anything.
  • Scope: Unchanged — the damage stays inside the vulnerable component.
  • Confidentiality impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.
  • Integrity impact: None.
  • Availability impact: None.

Weakness class

CVE-2023-5981 is classified as CWE-208: Observable Timing Discrepancy. Two separate operations in a product require different amounts of time to complete, in a way that is observable to an actor and reveals security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not.

Affected software

CVE-2023-5981 is recorded against 4 packages.

  • debian-linux
  • fedora
  • gnutls (fixed in 3.8.2)
  • linux

Timeline and source

Published on 28 November 2023 and last revised on 17 June 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from NVD.

References

access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
bugzilla.redhat.com
gnutls.org
www.openwall.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
access.redhat.com
bugzilla.redhat.com
gnutls.org
lists.debian.org
lists.fedoraproject.org
lists.fedoraproject.org

Other advisories for this package

debian-linux has other advisories on record. If you are patching this one, these are worth checking on the same host:

Same weakness in other software

These advisories are the same class of weakness (CWE-208: Observable Timing Discrepancy) in other software:

CVE-2023-5981 on other distributions

Each distribution ships its own build and its own fixed version. Pick the one you run:

Details

Severity MEDIUM
CVSS Score 5.9
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
CWE CWE-208
Public Exploit ✅ No
Source NVD
Published 2023-11-28
Updated 2026-08-20
Modified 2026-06-17
Fix URL N/A

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
debian-linux — —
fedora — —
gnutls — 3.8.2
linux — —

References

Third Party Advisory, Vendor Advisory https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-5981
Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2248445
Third Party Advisory, Vendor Advisory https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-5981
Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2248445

Similar Threats

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ⓘ Data Notice: The information presented above has been compiled from publicly available internet sources. Boteraser aggregates this data solely for informational purposes and does not independently classify, evaluate, or endorse any findings about the vulnerabilities listed. The accuracy and completeness of this information is the sole responsibility of the original publishers. Boteraser and its operators accept no liability for any decisions made based on this data.

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