The Heartbleed Bug

Target: OpenSSL Implementation

Impact: Private Key Compromise

Operational Briefing

Exploit a buffer over-read vulnerability in the OpenSSL library. Leak memory contents without leaving a trace.

The Full Story

Heartbleed was a serious vulnerability in the popular OpenSSL cryptographic software library. It allowed stealing information protected, under normal conditions, by the SSL/TLS encryption used to secure the Internet.

Technical Analysis

Buffer Over-read

The Bug: A missing bounds check in the handling of the TLS Heartbeat Extension (RFC 6520).
Impact: An attacker could request a heartbeat response that returned up to 64KB of server memory.
Leakage: Use repeated requests to dump memory, potentially revealing private SSL keys, session cookies, and user passwords.

Available Modes

Offensive

Replicate the attack vector

Defensive

Harden systems & patch

Analysis

Forensic investigation

Event Timeline

2012

Vulnerability introduced in OpenSSL code.

April 2014

Heartbleed publicly disclosed.

April 2014

Massive patching effort worldwide.

#Memory Corruption#SSL/TLS#Information Leak