K16396 : GnuPG vulnerability CVE-2013-4576

Security Advisory Description

GnuPG 1.x before 1.4.16 generates RSA keys using sequences of introductions with certain patterns that introduce a side channel, which allows physically proximate attackers to extract RSA keys via a chosen-ciphertext attack and acoustic cryptanalysis during decryption. NOTE: applications are not typically expected to protect themselves from acoustic side-channel attacks, since this is arguably the responsibility of the physical device. Accordingly, issues of this type would not normally receive a CVE identifier. However, for this issue, the developer has specified a security policy in which GnuPG should offer side-channel resistance, and developer-specified security-policy violations are within the scope of CVE. (CVE-2013-4576)

Impact

This vulnerability may allow physically proximate attackers to extract RSA keys by way of a chosen-ciphertext attack and acoustic cryptanalysis during decryption.