Shamir-share recovery via cache-timing leakage
Published Mar 30, 2023 · Updated Feb 13, 2025
Cache-timing exposure in HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise allows local users to narrow searches for Shamir shares. The Shamir mult and div functions index precomputed Galois Field logarithm tables, producing cache-dependent timing during seal and unseal operations. Exploitation requires host access and observation of many operations through a cache side channel; successful brute force can recover an unseal or root key.
Summary
What happened
Cache-timing exposure in HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise allows local users to narrow searches for Shamir shares. The Shamir mult and div functions index precomputed Galois Field logarithm tables, producing cache-dependent timing during seal and unseal operations. Exploitation requires host access and observation of many operations through a cache side channel; successful brute force can recover an unseal or root key.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-25000
- Published
- Mar 30, 2023
- Updated
- Feb 13, 2025
- Vendor
- HashiCorp
- Product
- Vault
- Classifications
- CWE-203
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 30, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 13, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <1.11.0
- Affected versionversion=1.11.0 <1.11.9
- Affected versionversion=1.12.0 <1.12.5
- Affected versionversion=1.13.0 <1.13.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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