CVE-2024-37880 — The Kyber reference implementation before 9b8d306, when compiled by LLVM Clang t
The Kyber reference implementation before 9b8d306, when compiled by LLVM Clang through 18.x with some common optimization options, has a timing side channel that allows attackers to recover an ML-KEM 512 secret key in minutes. This occurs because poly_frommsg in poly.c does not p
Published
2024-06-10T00:00:00.000Z
Last modified
2024-08-02T03:57:39.987Z
01What is this vulnerability?
The Kyber reference implementation before 9b8d306, when compiled by LLVM Clang through 18.x with some common optimization options, has a timing side channel that allows attackers to recover an ML-KEM 512 secret key in minutes. This occurs because poly_frommsg in poly.c does not prevent Clang from emitting a vulnerable secret-dependent branch.
02Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|
| n | a / n/a | n/a |
03Active exploitation status
Not currently listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. EPSS is the best forward-looking signal — see the EPSS row above.
04Recommended remediation
- Patch to a fixed version listed in the vendor advisory (see references below).
- Mitigate with WAF rules, network egress filters, or feature flags where the patch is not yet available.
- Hunt historical logs for exploitation indicators — see Detection signatures below.
05Technical details
For the full vendor write-up, exploit chains, and reference implementations, see the references list in section 09.
06Detection signatures
Open the Sigma generator with a pre-filled prompt for this CVE to draft a starting detection in your stack of choice:
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07Related CVEs
No directly-cited follow-up CVEs in the KB record for this advisory. The references list in section 09 carries the vendor cross-references.
08Timeline
- Published: 2024-06-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Last modified: 2024-08-02T03:57:39.987Z
09References
- pqshield.com — https://pqshield.com/pqshield-plugs-timing-leaks-in-kyber-ml-kem-to-improve-pqc-…
- github.com — https://github.com/antoonpurnal/clangover
- github.com — https://github.com/pq-crystals/kyber/commit/9b8d30698a3e7449aeb34e62339d4176f11e…
- news.ycombinator.com — https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40577486
- twitter.com — https://twitter.com/purnaltoon/status/1797644696568959476
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