CVE-2023-51767

Name of the Vulnerable Software and Affected Versions OpenSSH versions 9.6 and earlier

Description The issue is related to a potential row hammer attack that could allow authentication bypass. This is applicable to a certain threat model of attacker-victim co-location in which the attacker has user privileges. The problem lies in the mm answer authpassword function, where the integer value of authenticated does not resist flips of a single bit, potentially leading to a security bypass. It is estimated that about 116,668,063 devices worldwide might be affected, mainly distributed in the United States, China, and other countries.

Recommendations For OpenSSH versions 9.6 and earlier, consider disabling the mm answer authpassword function as a temporary workaround until a patch is available. Restrict access to the vulnerable function to minimize the risk of exploitation. Avoid using the authenticated variable in the affected function until the issue is resolved. At the moment, there is no information about a newer version that contains a fix for this vulnerability.