libp2p nodes vulnerable to attack using large RSA keys
Description
go-libp2p is the Go implementation of the libp2p Networking Stack. Prior to versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. To protect one's application, it is necessary to update to these patch releases and to use the updated Go compiler in 1.20.7 or 1.19.12. There are no known workarounds for this issue.
Affected packages
Versions sourced from the GitHub Security Advisory.
| Package | Affected versions | Patched versions |
|---|---|---|
github.com/libp2p/go-libp2pGo | < 0.27.8 | 0.27.8 |
github.com/libp2p/go-libp2pGo | >= 0.28.0, < 0.28.2 | 0.28.2 |
github.com/libp2p/go-libp2pGo | >= 0.29.0, < 0.29.1 | 0.29.1 |
Affected products
1Patches
40cce607219f3core/crypto: restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits (#2454)
3 files changed · +50 −0
core/crypto/rsa_common.go+3 −0 modified@@ -12,9 +12,12 @@ const WeakRsaKeyEnv = "LIBP2P_ALLOW_WEAK_RSA_KEYS" var MinRsaKeyBits = 2048 +var maxRsaKeyBits = 8192 + // ErrRsaKeyTooSmall is returned when trying to generate or parse an RSA key // that's smaller than MinRsaKeyBits bits. In test var ErrRsaKeyTooSmall error +var ErrRsaKeyTooBig error = fmt.Errorf("rsa keys must be <= %d bits", maxRsaKeyBits) func init() { if _, ok := os.LookupEnv(WeakRsaKeyEnv); ok {
core/crypto/rsa_go.go+9 −0 modified@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ func GenerateRSAKeyPair(bits int, src io.Reader) (PrivKey, PubKey, error) { if bits < MinRsaKeyBits { return nil, nil, ErrRsaKeyTooSmall } + if bits > maxRsaKeyBits { + return nil, nil, ErrRsaKeyTooBig + } priv, err := rsa.GenerateKey(src, bits) if err != nil { return nil, nil, err @@ -124,6 +127,9 @@ func UnmarshalRsaPrivateKey(b []byte) (key PrivKey, err error) { if sk.N.BitLen() < MinRsaKeyBits { return nil, ErrRsaKeyTooSmall } + if sk.N.BitLen() > maxRsaKeyBits { + return nil, ErrRsaKeyTooBig + } return &RsaPrivateKey{sk: *sk}, nil } @@ -141,6 +147,9 @@ func UnmarshalRsaPublicKey(b []byte) (key PubKey, err error) { if pk.N.BitLen() < MinRsaKeyBits { return nil, ErrRsaKeyTooSmall } + if pk.N.BitLen() > maxRsaKeyBits { + return nil, ErrRsaKeyTooBig + } return &RsaPublicKey{k: *pk}, nil }
core/crypto/rsa_test.go+38 −0 modified@@ -68,6 +68,44 @@ func TestRSASmallKey(t *testing.T) { } } +func TestRSABigKeyFailsToGenerate(t *testing.T) { + _, _, err := GenerateRSAKeyPair(maxRsaKeyBits*2, rand.Reader) + if err != ErrRsaKeyTooBig { + t.Fatal("should have refused to create too big RSA key") + } +} + +func TestRSABigKey(t *testing.T) { + // Make the global limit smaller for this test to run faster. + // Note we also change the limit below, but this is different + origSize := maxRsaKeyBits + maxRsaKeyBits = 2048 + defer func() { maxRsaKeyBits = origSize }() // + + maxRsaKeyBits *= 2 + badPriv, badPub, err := GenerateRSAKeyPair(maxRsaKeyBits, rand.Reader) + if err != nil { + t.Fatalf("should have succeeded, got: %s", err) + } + pubBytes, err := MarshalPublicKey(badPub) + if err != nil { + t.Fatal(err) + } + privBytes, err := MarshalPrivateKey(badPriv) + if err != nil { + t.Fatal(err) + } + maxRsaKeyBits /= 2 + _, err = UnmarshalPublicKey(pubBytes) + if err != ErrRsaKeyTooBig { + t.Fatal("should have refused to unmarshal a too big key") + } + _, err = UnmarshalPrivateKey(privBytes) + if err != ErrRsaKeyTooBig { + t.Fatal("should have refused to unmarshal a too big key") + } +} + func TestRSASignZero(t *testing.T) { priv, pub, err := GenerateRSAKeyPair(2048, rand.Reader) if err != nil {
445be526aea4core/crypto: restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits (#2454)
3 files changed · +50 −0
core/crypto/rsa_common.go+3 −0 modified@@ -12,9 +12,12 @@ const WeakRsaKeyEnv = "LIBP2P_ALLOW_WEAK_RSA_KEYS" var MinRsaKeyBits = 2048 +var maxRsaKeyBits = 8192 + // ErrRsaKeyTooSmall is returned when trying to generate or parse an RSA key // that's smaller than MinRsaKeyBits bits. In test var ErrRsaKeyTooSmall error +var ErrRsaKeyTooBig error = fmt.Errorf("rsa keys must be <= %d bits", maxRsaKeyBits) func init() { if _, ok := os.LookupEnv(WeakRsaKeyEnv); ok {
core/crypto/rsa_go.go+9 −0 modified@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ func GenerateRSAKeyPair(bits int, src io.Reader) (PrivKey, PubKey, error) { if bits < MinRsaKeyBits { return nil, nil, ErrRsaKeyTooSmall } + if bits > maxRsaKeyBits { + return nil, nil, ErrRsaKeyTooBig + } priv, err := rsa.GenerateKey(src, bits) if err != nil { return nil, nil, err @@ -124,6 +127,9 @@ func UnmarshalRsaPrivateKey(b []byte) (key PrivKey, err error) { if sk.N.BitLen() < MinRsaKeyBits { return nil, ErrRsaKeyTooSmall } + if sk.N.BitLen() > maxRsaKeyBits { + return nil, ErrRsaKeyTooBig + } return &RsaPrivateKey{sk: *sk}, nil } @@ -141,6 +147,9 @@ func UnmarshalRsaPublicKey(b []byte) (key PubKey, err error) { if pk.N.BitLen() < MinRsaKeyBits { return nil, ErrRsaKeyTooSmall } + if pk.N.BitLen() > maxRsaKeyBits { + return nil, ErrRsaKeyTooBig + } return &RsaPublicKey{k: *pk}, nil }
core/crypto/rsa_test.go+38 −0 modified@@ -68,6 +68,44 @@ func TestRSASmallKey(t *testing.T) { } } +func TestRSABigKeyFailsToGenerate(t *testing.T) { + _, _, err := GenerateRSAKeyPair(maxRsaKeyBits*2, rand.Reader) + if err != ErrRsaKeyTooBig { + t.Fatal("should have refused to create too big RSA key") + } +} + +func TestRSABigKey(t *testing.T) { + // Make the global limit smaller for this test to run faster. + // Note we also change the limit below, but this is different + origSize := maxRsaKeyBits + maxRsaKeyBits = 2048 + defer func() { maxRsaKeyBits = origSize }() // + + maxRsaKeyBits *= 2 + badPriv, badPub, err := GenerateRSAKeyPair(maxRsaKeyBits, rand.Reader) + if err != nil { + t.Fatalf("should have succeeded, got: %s", err) + } + pubBytes, err := MarshalPublicKey(badPub) + if err != nil { + t.Fatal(err) + } + privBytes, err := MarshalPrivateKey(badPriv) + if err != nil { + t.Fatal(err) + } + maxRsaKeyBits /= 2 + _, err = UnmarshalPublicKey(pubBytes) + if err != ErrRsaKeyTooBig { + t.Fatal("should have refused to unmarshal a too big key") + } + _, err = UnmarshalPrivateKey(privBytes) + if err != ErrRsaKeyTooBig { + t.Fatal("should have refused to unmarshal a too big key") + } +} + func TestRSASignZero(t *testing.T) { priv, pub, err := GenerateRSAKeyPair(2048, rand.Reader) if err != nil {
e30fcf7dfd47core/crypto: restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits (#2454)
3 files changed · +50 −0
core/crypto/rsa_common.go+3 −0 modified@@ -12,9 +12,12 @@ const WeakRsaKeyEnv = "LIBP2P_ALLOW_WEAK_RSA_KEYS" var MinRsaKeyBits = 2048 +var maxRsaKeyBits = 8192 + // ErrRsaKeyTooSmall is returned when trying to generate or parse an RSA key // that's smaller than MinRsaKeyBits bits. In test var ErrRsaKeyTooSmall error +var ErrRsaKeyTooBig error = fmt.Errorf("rsa keys must be <= %d bits", maxRsaKeyBits) func init() { if _, ok := os.LookupEnv(WeakRsaKeyEnv); ok {
core/crypto/rsa_go.go+9 −0 modified@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ func GenerateRSAKeyPair(bits int, src io.Reader) (PrivKey, PubKey, error) { if bits < MinRsaKeyBits { return nil, nil, ErrRsaKeyTooSmall } + if bits > maxRsaKeyBits { + return nil, nil, ErrRsaKeyTooBig + } priv, err := rsa.GenerateKey(src, bits) if err != nil { return nil, nil, err @@ -124,6 +127,9 @@ func UnmarshalRsaPrivateKey(b []byte) (key PrivKey, err error) { if sk.N.BitLen() < MinRsaKeyBits { return nil, ErrRsaKeyTooSmall } + if sk.N.BitLen() > maxRsaKeyBits { + return nil, ErrRsaKeyTooBig + } return &RsaPrivateKey{sk: *sk}, nil } @@ -141,6 +147,9 @@ func UnmarshalRsaPublicKey(b []byte) (key PubKey, err error) { if pk.N.BitLen() < MinRsaKeyBits { return nil, ErrRsaKeyTooSmall } + if pk.N.BitLen() > maxRsaKeyBits { + return nil, ErrRsaKeyTooBig + } return &RsaPublicKey{k: *pk}, nil }
core/crypto/rsa_test.go+38 −0 modified@@ -68,6 +68,44 @@ func TestRSASmallKey(t *testing.T) { } } +func TestRSABigKeyFailsToGenerate(t *testing.T) { + _, _, err := GenerateRSAKeyPair(maxRsaKeyBits*2, rand.Reader) + if err != ErrRsaKeyTooBig { + t.Fatal("should have refused to create too big RSA key") + } +} + +func TestRSABigKey(t *testing.T) { + // Make the global limit smaller for this test to run faster. + // Note we also change the limit below, but this is different + origSize := maxRsaKeyBits + maxRsaKeyBits = 2048 + defer func() { maxRsaKeyBits = origSize }() // + + maxRsaKeyBits *= 2 + badPriv, badPub, err := GenerateRSAKeyPair(maxRsaKeyBits, rand.Reader) + if err != nil { + t.Fatalf("should have succeeded, got: %s", err) + } + pubBytes, err := MarshalPublicKey(badPub) + if err != nil { + t.Fatal(err) + } + privBytes, err := MarshalPrivateKey(badPriv) + if err != nil { + t.Fatal(err) + } + maxRsaKeyBits /= 2 + _, err = UnmarshalPublicKey(pubBytes) + if err != ErrRsaKeyTooBig { + t.Fatal("should have refused to unmarshal a too big key") + } + _, err = UnmarshalPrivateKey(privBytes) + if err != ErrRsaKeyTooBig { + t.Fatal("should have refused to unmarshal a too big key") + } +} + func TestRSASignZero(t *testing.T) { priv, pub, err := GenerateRSAKeyPair(2048, rand.Reader) if err != nil {
2350afd2e8abcrypto/tls: restrict RSA keys in certificates to <= 8192 bits
3 files changed · +90 −0
src/crypto/tls/handshake_client.go+8 −0 modified@@ -936,6 +936,10 @@ func (hs *clientHandshakeState) sendFinished(out []byte) error { return nil } +// maxRSAKeySize is the maximum RSA key size in bits that we are willing +// to verify the signatures of during a TLS handshake. +const maxRSAKeySize = 8192 + // verifyServerCertificate parses and verifies the provided chain, setting // c.verifiedChains and c.peerCertificates or sending the appropriate alert. func (c *Conn) verifyServerCertificate(certificates [][]byte) error { @@ -947,6 +951,10 @@ func (c *Conn) verifyServerCertificate(certificates [][]byte) error { c.sendAlert(alertBadCertificate) return errors.New("tls: failed to parse certificate from server: " + err.Error()) } + if cert.cert.PublicKeyAlgorithm == x509.RSA && cert.cert.PublicKey.(*rsa.PublicKey).N.BitLen() > maxRSAKeySize { + c.sendAlert(alertBadCertificate) + return fmt.Errorf("tls: server sent certificate containing RSA key larger than %d bits", maxRSAKeySize) + } activeHandles[i] = cert certs[i] = cert.cert }
src/crypto/tls/handshake_client_test.go+78 −0 modified@@ -2721,3 +2721,81 @@ func testTLS13OnlyClientHelloCipherSuite(t *testing.T, ciphers []uint16) { t.Fatalf("handshake failed: %s", err) } } + +// discardConn wraps a net.Conn but discards all writes, but reports that they happened. +type discardConn struct { + net.Conn +} + +func (dc *discardConn) Write(data []byte) (int, error) { + return len(data), nil +} + +// largeRSAKeyCertPEM contains a 8193 bit RSA key +const largeRSAKeyCertPEM = `-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- +MIIInjCCBIWgAwIBAgIBAjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsFADASMRAwDgYDVQQDEwd0ZXN0 +aW5nMB4XDTIzMDYwNzIxMjMzNloXDTIzMDYwNzIzMjMzNlowEjEQMA4GA1UEAxMH +dGVzdGluZzCCBCIwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQADggQPADCCBAoCggQBAWdHsf6Rh2Ca +n2SQwn4t4OQrOjbLLdGE1pM6TBKKrHUFy62uEL8atNjlcfXIsa4aEu3xNGiqxqur +ZectlkZbm0FkaaQ1Wr9oikDY3KfjuaXdPdO/XC/h8AKNxlDOylyXwUSK/CuYb+1j +gy8yF5QFvVfwW/xwTlHmhUeSkVSQPosfQ6yXNNsmMzkd+ZPWLrfq4R+wiNtwYGu0 +WSBcI/M9o8/vrNLnIppoiBJJ13j9CR1ToEAzOFh9wwRWLY10oZhoh1ONN1KQURx4 +qedzvvP2DSjZbUccdvl2rBGvZpzfOiFdm1FCnxB0c72Cqx+GTHXBFf8bsa7KHky9 +sNO1GUanbq17WoDNgwbY6H51bfShqv0CErxatwWox3we4EcAmFHPVTCYL1oWVMGo +a3Eth91NZj+b/nGhF9lhHKGzXSv9brmLLkfvM1jA6XhNhA7BQ5Vz67lj2j3XfXdh +t/BU5pBXbL4Ut4mIhT1YnKXAjX2/LF5RHQTE8Vwkx5JAEKZyUEGOReD/B+7GOrLp +HduMT9vZAc5aR2k9I8qq1zBAzsL69lyQNAPaDYd1BIAjUety9gAYaSQffCgAgpRO +Gt+DYvxS+7AT/yEd5h74MU2AH7KrAkbXOtlwupiGwhMVTstncDJWXMJqbBhyHPF8 +3UmZH0hbL4PYmzSj9LDWQQXI2tv6vrCpfts3Cqhqxz9vRpgY7t1Wu6l/r+KxYYz3 +1pcGpPvRmPh0DJm7cPTiXqPnZcPt+ulSaSdlxmd19OnvG5awp0fXhxryZVwuiT8G +VDkhyARrxYrdjlINsZJZbQjO0t8ketXAELJOnbFXXzeCOosyOHkLwsqOO96AVJA8 +45ZVL5m95ClGy0RSrjVIkXsxTAMVG6SPAqKwk6vmTdRGuSPS4rhgckPVDHmccmuq +dfnT2YkX+wB2/M3oCgU+s30fAHGkbGZ0pCdNbFYFZLiH0iiMbTDl/0L/z7IdK0nH +GLHVE7apPraKC6xl6rPWsD2iSfrmtIPQa0+rqbIVvKP5JdfJ8J4alI+OxFw/znQe +V0/Rez0j22Fe119LZFFSXhRv+ZSvcq20xDwh00mzcumPWpYuCVPozA18yIhC9tNn +ALHndz0tDseIdy9vC71jQWy9iwri3ueN0DekMMF8JGzI1Z6BAFzgyAx3DkHtwHg7 +B7qD0jPG5hJ5+yt323fYgJsuEAYoZ8/jzZ01pkX8bt+UsVN0DGnSGsI2ktnIIk3J +l+8krjmUy6EaW79nITwoOqaeHOIp8m3UkjEcoKOYrzHRKqRy+A09rY+m/cAQaafW +4xp0Zv7qZPLwnu0jsqB4jD8Ll9yPB02ndsoV6U5PeHzTkVhPml19jKUAwFfs7TJg +kXy+/xFhYVUCAwEAATANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsFAAOCBAIAAQnZY77pMNeypfpba2WK +aDasT7dk2JqP0eukJCVPTN24Zca+xJNPdzuBATm/8SdZK9lddIbjSnWRsKvTnO2r +/rYdlPf3jM5uuJtb8+Uwwe1s+gszelGS9G/lzzq+ehWicRIq2PFcs8o3iQMfENiv +qILJ+xjcrvms5ZPDNahWkfRx3KCg8Q+/at2n5p7XYjMPYiLKHnDC+RE2b1qT20IZ +FhuK/fTWLmKbfYFNNga6GC4qcaZJ7x0pbm4SDTYp0tkhzcHzwKhidfNB5J2vNz6l +Ur6wiYwamFTLqcOwWo7rdvI+sSn05WQBv0QZlzFX+OAu0l7WQ7yU+noOxBhjvHds +14+r9qcQZg2q9kG+evopYZqYXRUNNlZKo9MRBXhfrISulFAc5lRFQIXMXnglvAu+ +Ipz2gomEAOcOPNNVldhKAU94GAMJd/KfN0ZP7gX3YvPzuYU6XDhag5RTohXLm18w +5AF+ES3DOQ6ixu3DTf0D+6qrDuK+prdX8ivcdTQVNOQ+MIZeGSc6NWWOTaMGJ3lg +aZIxJUGdo6E7GBGiC1YTjgFKFbHzek1LRTh/LX3vbSudxwaG0HQxwsU9T4DWiMqa +Fkf2KteLEUA6HrR+0XlAZrhwoqAmrJ+8lCFX3V0gE9lpENfVHlFXDGyx10DpTB28 +DdjnY3F7EPWNzwf9P3oNT69CKW3Bk6VVr3ROOJtDxVu1ioWo3TaXltQ0VOnap2Pu +sa5wfrpfwBDuAS9JCDg4ttNp2nW3F7tgXC6xPqw5pvGwUppEw9XNrqV8TZrxduuv +rQ3NyZ7KSzIpmFlD3UwV/fGfz3UQmHS6Ng1evrUID9DjfYNfRqSGIGjDfxGtYD+j +Z1gLJZuhjJpNtwBkKRtlNtrCWCJK2hidK/foxwD7kwAPo2I9FjpltxCRywZUs07X +KwXTfBR9v6ij1LV6K58hFS+8ezZyZ05CeVBFkMQdclTOSfuPxlMkQOtjp8QWDj+F +j/MYziT5KBkHvcbrjdRtUJIAi4N7zCsPZtjik918AK1WBNRVqPbrgq/XSEXMfuvs +6JbfK0B76vdBDRtJFC1JsvnIrGbUztxXzyQwFLaR/AjVJqpVlysLWzPKWVX6/+SJ +u1NQOl2E8P6ycyBsuGnO89p0S4F8cMRcI2X1XQsZ7/q0NBrOMaEp5T3SrWo9GiQ3 +o2SBdbs3Y6MBPBtTu977Z/0RO63J3M5i2tjUiDfrFy7+VRLKr7qQ7JibohyB8QaR +9tedgjn2f+of7PnP/PEl1cCphUZeHM7QKUMPT8dbqwmKtlYY43EHXcvNOT5IBk3X +9lwJoZk/B2i+ZMRNSP34ztAwtxmasPt6RAWGQpWCn9qmttAHAnMfDqe7F7jVR6rS +u58= +-----END CERTIFICATE-----` + +func TestHandshakeRSATooBig(t *testing.T) { + testCert, _ := pem.Decode([]byte(largeRSAKeyCertPEM)) + + c := &Conn{conn: &discardConn{}, config: testConfig.Clone()} + + expectedErr := "tls: server sent certificate containing RSA key larger than 8192 bits" + err := c.verifyServerCertificate([][]byte{testCert.Bytes}) + if err == nil || err.Error() != expectedErr { + t.Errorf("Conn.verifyServerCertificate unexpected error: want %q, got %q", expectedErr, err) + } + + expectedErr = "tls: client sent certificate containing RSA key larger than 8192 bits" + err = c.processCertsFromClient(Certificate{Certificate: [][]byte{testCert.Bytes}}) + if err == nil || err.Error() != expectedErr { + t.Errorf("Conn.processCertsFromClient unexpected error: want %q, got %q", expectedErr, err) + } +}
src/crypto/tls/handshake_server.go+4 −0 modified@@ -864,6 +864,10 @@ func (c *Conn) processCertsFromClient(certificate Certificate) error { c.sendAlert(alertBadCertificate) return errors.New("tls: failed to parse client certificate: " + err.Error()) } + if certs[i].PublicKeyAlgorithm == x509.RSA && certs[i].PublicKey.(*rsa.PublicKey).N.BitLen() > maxRSAKeySize { + c.sendAlert(alertBadCertificate) + return fmt.Errorf("tls: client sent certificate containing RSA key larger than %d bits", maxRSAKeySize) + } } if len(certs) == 0 && requiresClientCert(c.config.ClientAuth) {
Vulnerability mechanics
Generated by null/stub on May 9, 2026. Inputs: CWE entries + fix-commit diffs from this CVE's patches. Citations validated against bundle.
References
11- github.com/advisories/GHSA-876p-8259-xjggghsaADVISORY
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-39533ghsaADVISORY
- github.com/golang/go/commit/2350afd2e8ab054390e284c95d5b089c142db017ghsax_refsource_MISCWEB
- github.com/golang/go/issues/61460ghsax_refsource_MISCWEB
- github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/commit/0cce607219f3710addc7e18672cffd1f1d912fbbghsax_refsource_MISCWEB
- github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/commit/445be526aea4ee0b1fa5388aa65d32b2816d3a00ghsax_refsource_MISCWEB
- github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/commit/e30fcf7dfd4715ed89a5e68d7a4f774d3b9aa92dghsax_refsource_MISCWEB
- github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/pull/2454ghsax_refsource_MISCWEB
- github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/security/advisories/GHSA-876p-8259-xjggghsax_refsource_CONFIRMWEB
- github.com/quic-go/quic-go/pull/4012ghsax_refsource_MISCWEB
- go.dev/issue/61460ghsaWEB
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