blog

How to fix the OpenSSL Critical vulnerability – OpenSSL 3.0.7  -Vulnerability Weekly special focus on application security

Critical Vulnerability affecting open source library OpenSSL - Application Security

Critical Vulnerability affecting open source library OpenSSL - Application Security
Critical Vulnerability affecting open source library OpenSSL – Application Security

On October 25, a critical vulnerability was announced for OpenSSL, with the fix and advisory on November 1st. This upcoming update will affect the application security and vulnerability management teams.

This is the second-rated critical vulnerability of the OpenSSL project

https://twitter.com/iamamoose/status/1584908434855628800 

The open SSL project team announced the release of a minor version to fix the vulnerability, but it will be available on the 1st of 2022. OpenSSL 3.0.7 will patch the critical vulnerability with the disclosure of the vulnerability.

Why a lot of attention and nervousness on this vulnerability? 

In 2014, the critical Heartbleed bug was announced and fixed; it became obvious how many systems depend on this vulnerability and how long it took for all the systems to be aligned to this new version. 

As OpenSSL is a widespread library, shown below is just a fraction of the direct usage: 

After log4j software composition analysis and infrastructure, the composition is ever more critical. 

The challenge with OpenSSL is that is nested in a lot of systems and a lot of libraries. 

So while you might be safe on an Operating system (not using openssl), the container that runs on it or the embedded software might expose and use

Controversial announcement

The patch for the critical vulnerability was announced on october 25th weeks before the official patch.

Tweet: https://twitter.com/iamamoose/status/1584908434855628800 

This allowed the team to gear up and prepare for fixes. There is a debate that this behaviour could trigger attackers to exploit the vulnerability https://twitter.com/__agwa/status/1584916997472751618 

System Affected

OpenSSL is included in many operating systems (Windows, macOS, various Linux distributions, etc.); client-side software; web and email server software (Apache, nginx, etc.); network appliances (Cisco, Fortinet, Juniper, etc.), industrial control systems, and so on.

Best defence

As this is an RCE, the best way to defend is to 

1 – create an inventory of all the systems that have open SSL installed and could have open SSL installed.

2 – fix as many instances as possible, prioritizing the one that can access easily

3 – for systems, repo that can’t be immediately fixed (vendors, SLA, maintenance), apply virtual patches on a WAF level to prevent specific strings from triggering the vulnerability. as there is no advisory in this space on the specific string, stay tuned for further updates

Challenges with those types of libraries

The challenge with open-source libraries, log4j, for example, is that a relatively small pool of people maintains them for free. This is quickly changing, with Google pledging large amounts of money to fix open-source libraries.

Key Point of this vulnerability:

  • The vulnerability seems to affect only OpenSSL 3.x releases, if you’re not using OpenSSL 3.x (ie, you’re still on OpenSSL 1.x across your org), you might be OK. Ensure your inventory is well maintained to determine whether you’re affected.
  • If you have systems which use OpenSSL 3.x that are Internet-facing or run critical functions (authn, authz), consider putting some mitigation in place ahead of this. Ex: if TLS termination occurs on a system which uses OpenSSL 3.x, consider delegating TLS termination to a system with a different TLS stack till you can patch.
  • If you have vendors who may use OpenSSL, now is the time to inquire whether they use 3.x releases and their errata schedule. Also list all the vendors that might have OpenSSL
use: openssl s_client -connect <domain name or IP>:<port>
  • Consider instituting a change freeze on/around November 1 to allow your teams the opportunity to build/test/release/patch as your highest priority if you’re using OpenSSL 3.x
  • OpenSSL is a library. Libraries can be linked to statically or dynamically. Consider how you would patch your systems in both cases.
  • * Any software upgrade, including dependent libraries, must go through testing. Complex distributed systems are hard. Make no assumptions about how a “trivial” patch may affect your systems.
  • * In case your systems use OpenSSL 3.x, how would you address static vs dynamically linked programs? What mitigation and patch strategies do you have?
  • What are your playbooks if a breach occurs prior to completing your mitigation or patch strategy? Work with your leadership team to understand your options for each scenario. Documenting scenarios and viable paths help to avoid rash decisions in stressful situations.
  • * During the log4j firefight, we saw numerous security commenters jump on the vulnerability, spreading misinformation and asking to remove libraries. 
  • This can cause a lot more pain, and removing a component can cause an enormous ripple effect. 
  • Fixing a vulnerability in code or on a system should always be staged, tested and verified with proper regression testing. Allow enough time for this implementing mitigating countermeasures like virtual patching.

Best of luck to all the security team and development team working on this

Previous Issues of vulnerability Weekly





Francesco is an internationally renowned public speaker, with multiple interviews in high-profile publications (eg. Forbes), and an author of numerous books and articles, who utilises his platform to evangelize the importance of Cloud security and cutting-edge technologies on a global scale.

Discuss this blog with our community on Slack

Join our AppSec Phoenix community on Slack to discuss this blog and other news with our professional security team

From our Blog

Explore the critical cybersecurity implications of CVE-2024-23917 and CVE-2024-27199 vulnerabilities in JetBrains software. Learn how vulnerability management and EPSS guide organizations in strengthening their cyber defences.
Francesco Cipollone
Explore the interplay between the MITRE ATT&CK framework and EPSS for effective vulnerability management. Learn how these tools help predict and prioritize cyber threats, with deep dives into the most and least exploited techniques. Stay ahead in cybersecurity with Phoenix’s advanced analysis.
Francesco Cipollone
The Cloud Security and AppSec teams at Phoenix Security are pleased to bring you another set of new Phoenix Security features and improvements for vulnerability management across application and cloud security engines. This release builds on top of previous releases with key additions and progress across multiple areas of the platform. Application Security Posture Management – Team Graph – Team Dashboard Access Update Asset and Vulnerability Management – Saved Filters – Introducing Asset Lifecycle Management – Introducing Vulnerability Lifecycle Management Integrations – Out-of-the-box Nuclei Scanning – Wiz Integration – Control Snyk ignored vulnerabilities Other Improvements – Navigate to Asset from Impact Explorer chart – Improved display of Impact and Exposure in Risk Elements
Alfonso Eusebio
Explore ASPM’s role in modern application security, offering a panoramic view that extends beyond code vulnerabilities. This guide demystifies concepts like traceability, reachability analysis, and asset lineage, pivotal for securing digital assets. Learn how ASPM empowers organizations with actionable insights for precise vulnerability management. #Cybersecurity #ASPM #ApplicationSecurity
Francesco Cipollone
Explore the transformative role of ASPM in cybersecurity. Uncover how Application Security Posture Management aligns business and security objectives for effective vulnerability management and risk reduction. Discover Phoenix Security’s innovative approach to tackling the staggering challenge of CVEs with a strategic focus on prioritization. #ASPM #Cybersecurity #VulnerabilityManagement
Francesco Cipollone

Jeevan Singh

Founder of Manicode Security

Jeevan Singh is the Director of Security Engineering at Rippling, with a background spanning various Engineering and Security leadership roles over the course of his career. He’s dedicated to the integration of security practices into software development, working to create a security-aware culture within organizations and imparting security best practices to the team.
In his role, Jeevan handles a range of tasks, from architecting security solutions to collaborating with Engineering Leadership to address security vulnerabilities at scale and embed security into the fabric of the organization.

James Berthoty

Founder of Latio Tech

James Berthoty has over ten years of experience across product and security domains. He founded Latio Tech to help companies find the right security tools for their needs without vendor bias.

Christophe Parisel

Senior Cloud Security Architect

Senior Cloud Security Architect

Chris Romeo

Co-Founder
Security Journey

Chris Romeo is a leading voice and thinker in application security, threat modeling, and security champions and the CEO of Devici and General Partner at Kerr Ventures. Chris hosts the award-winning “Application Security Podcast,” “The Security Table,” and “The Threat Modeling Podcast” and is a highly rated industry speaker and trainer, featured at the RSA Conference, the AppSec Village @ DefCon, OWASP Global AppSec, ISC2 Security Congress, InfoSec World and All Day DevOps. Chris founded Security Journey, a security education company, leading to an exit in 2022. Chris was the Chief Security Advocate at Cisco, spreading security knowledge through education and champion programs. Chris has twenty-six years of security experience, holding positions across the gamut, including application security, security engineering, incident response, and various Executive roles. Chris holds the CISSP and CSSLP certifications.

Jim Manico

Founder of Manicode Security

Jim Manico is the founder of Manicode Security, where he trains software developers on secure coding and security engineering. Jim is also the founder of Brakeman Security, Inc. and an investor/advisor for Signal Sciences. He is the author of Iron-Clad Java: Building Secure Web Applications (McGraw-Hill), a frequent speaker on secure software practices, and a member of the JavaOne Rockstar speaker community. Jim is also a volunteer for and former board member of the OWASP foundation.

Join our Mailing list!

Get all the latest news, exclusive deals, and feature updates.