CVE-2019-1552: Windows builds with insecure path defaults
OpenSSL could allow a local attacker to bypass security restrictions, caused by the building of . mingw programs or Windows programs with world writable path defaults. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to modify default configuration, insert CA certificates, modify (or even replace) existing engine modules.
Other sources
OpenSSL has internal defaults for a directory tree where it can find a configuration file as well as certificates used for verification in TLS. This directory is most commonly referred to as OPENSSLDIR, and is configurable with the --prefix / --openssldir configuration options. For OpenSSL versions 1.1.0 and 1.1.1, the mingw configuration targets assume that resulting programs and libraries are installed in a Unix-like environment and the default prefix for program installation as well as for OPENSSLDIR should be '/usr/local'. However, mingw programs are Windows programs, and as such, find themselves looking at sub-directories of 'C:/usr/local', which may be world writable, which enables untrusted users to modify OpenSSL's default configuration, insert CA certificates, modify (or even replace) existing engine modules, etc. For OpenSSL 1.0.2, '/usr/local/ssl' is used as default for OPENSSLDIR on all Unix and Windows targets, including Visual C builds. However, some build instructions for the diverse Windows targets on 1.0.2 encourage you to specify your own --prefix. OpenSSL versions 1.1.1, 1.1.0 and 1.0.2 are affected by this issue. Due to the limited scope of affected deployments this has been assessed as low severity and therefore we are not creating new releases at this time. Fixed in OpenSSL 1.1.1d (Affected 1.1.1-1.1.1c). Fixed in OpenSSL 1.1.0l (Affected 1.1.0-1.1.0k). Fixed in OpenSSL 1.0.2t (Affected 1.0.2-1.0.2s).
Affected Software
Remediation
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2019-1552?
CVE-2019-1552 is a vulnerability in OpenSSL that allows a local attacker to bypass security restrictions caused by the building of .min files.
What is the severity of CVE-2019-1552?
The severity of CVE-2019-1552 is low, with a severity value of 3.3.
How does CVE-2019-1552 affect OpenSSL?
CVE-2019-1552 affects OpenSSL versions 1.0.2s, 1.1.0k, and 1.1.1c.
What is OPENSSLDIR?
OPENSSLDIR is a directory in OpenSSL where it can find a configuration file and certificates used for TLS verification.
How can I fix CVE-2019-1552?
To fix CVE-2019-1552, update OpenSSL to a version that includes the relevant security patches.