Medium [CVE-2024-28834] Gnutls: vulnerable to minerva side-channel information leak

A flaw was found in GnuTLS. The Minerva attack is a cryptographic vulnerability that exploits deterministic behavior in systems like GnuTLS, leading to side-channel leaks.

In specific scenarios, such as when using the GNUTLS_PRIVKEY_FLAG_REPRODUCIBLE flag, it can result in a noticeable step in nonce size from 513 to 512 bits, exposing a potential timing side-channel.

The Minerva attack vulnerability in GnuTLS, as identified through deterministic code behavior, poses a moderate severity risk due to its potential exploitation in cryptographic systems.

This vulnerability enables adversaries to infer information about the cryptographic operations by observing subtle variations in nonce sizes, leading to a side-channel attack.

The deterministic nature of the code allows attackers to discern patterns in the nonce generation process, thereby compromising the confidentiality and integrity of cryptographic communications.

While the impact of this vulnerability may not be immediate or widespread, its exploitation could facilitate targeted attacks against systems relying on GnuTLS for secure communication. Red Hat severity: Moderate — CVSS 5.3 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Weakness: CWE-327.