Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's crypto subsystem, specifically in the algif_aead module handling AEAD (Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data) requests using the AF_ALG interface.

The issue arises because asynchronous AEAD requests share a socket-wide initialization vector (IV) buffer during processing. Since the IV buffer is mutable and shared, later socket activity can modify the IV before the original asynchronous request completes, leading to inconsistent IV handling.

The fix involves snapshotting the IV into per-request storage when preparing the AEAD request, ensuring that each in-flight operation uses its own immutable IV state and does not depend on the mutable socket-wide IV buffer.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to inconsistent handling of the initialization vector (IV) during asynchronous AEAD encryption or decryption operations.

Inconsistent IV handling can compromise the cryptographic integrity and security of encrypted data, potentially allowing attackers to exploit predictable or reused IVs, which may weaken encryption guarantees.

Such cryptographic weaknesses could lead to data exposure, unauthorized data modification, or other security breaches depending on how the cryptographic operations are used in the system.

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Mitigation Strategies

The vulnerability has been resolved by updating the Linux kernel to snapshot the IV into per-request storage for AEAD requests, preventing inconsistent IV handling.

Therefore, the immediate step to mitigate this vulnerability is to update your Linux kernel to a version that includes this fix.

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