CVE-2023-5981: debian debian_linux Observable Timing Discrepancy
CVSS: 5.9v3.1MediumModified
AliasesALPINE-CVE-2023-5981MGASA-2024-0008SUSE-SU-2023:4983-1SUSE-SU-2023:4986-1RHSA-2024:0155RHSA-2024:0319RHSA-2024:0399RHSA-2024:0451UBUNTU-CVE-2023-5981USN-6499-1USN-6499-2DEBIAN-CVE-2023-5981DLA-3660-1openSUSE-SU-2024:13444-1
Published 28-11-2023Last modified 14-10-2026
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2023-5981 is a medium (CVSS 5.9) Observable Timing Discrepancy vulnerability in debian debian_linux. EPSS estimates a 1.27% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 69.3% of scored vulnerabilities.
CVSS score
5.9/10
010
Medium · v3.1 (CVE.org)EPSS score
1.27%
0%100%
Low · 0.00 pp in 30 daysKEVNot listedIn no KEV catalog
RansomwareNone recordedNo known use recorded
Public exploits0No public exploits recorded
Advisory lineage
Upstream 0 · Downstream 4 · Related 3Timeline
- 28-11-2023PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 14-10-2026Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
A vulnerability was found that the response times to malformed ciphertexts in RSA-PSK ClientKeyExchange differ from response times of ciphertexts with correct PKCS#1 v1.5 padding.
CVSS metrics
6 scores · 6 sources · 1 versionMedium 5.9Preferred score · CVE.org (CNA)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NSourcesAll 6 agree
- OSV · AlpineEcosystem advisory · calculated5.9MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
- OSV · Red hatEcosystem advisory · calculated5.9MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated5.9MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
- OSV · DebianEcosystem advisory · calculated5.9MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
- NVDNIST5.9MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
EPSS trend
Probability
1.27%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
69%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
0.00 pp
From 1.27% on 19-09-2026
19-09-202619-10-2026
EPSS score1.27%
Known exploited
Compare KEV catalogsNot in any of the 3 tracked catalogs.
Public exploits
0 foundNo public exploits indexed.
Weaknesses
CWE · root cause- CWE-208Observable Timing DiscrepancyTwo separate operations in a product require different amounts of time to complete, in a way that is observable to an actor and reveals security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not.
- CWE-203Observable DiscrepancyThe product behaves differently or sends different responses under different circumstances in a way that is observable to an unauthorized actor.
Affected systems
Suse14 products
- gnutls&distro=SUSE Enterprise Storage 7.1< 3.6.7-150200.14.28.1
- gnutls&distro=SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS< 3.6.7-150200.14.28.1
- gnutls&distro=SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-ESPOS< 3.6.7-150200.14.28.1
- gnutls&distro=SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-LTSS< 3.6.7-150200.14.28.1
- gnutls&distro=SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.1< 3.6.7-150200.14.28.1
Redhat11 products
- linux8.0 | 9.0
- gnutls< 0:3.6.16-8.el8_9 | < 0:3.6.16-5.el8_6.2 | < 0:3.6.16-7.el8_8.1 | < 0:3.7.6-21.el9_2.1
- gnutls-c++< 0:3.6.16-8.el8_9 | < 0:3.6.16-5.el8_6.2 | < 0:3.6.16-7.el8_8.1 | < 0:3.7.6-21.el9_2.1
- gnutls-c++-debuginfo< 0:3.6.16-8.el8_9 | < 0:3.6.16-5.el8_6.2 | < 0:3.6.16-7.el8_8.1 | < 0:3.7.6-21.el9_2.1
- gnutls-dane< 0:3.6.16-8.el8_9 | < 0:3.6.16-5.el8_6.2 | < 0:3.6.16-7.el8_8.1 | < 0:3.7.6-21.el9_2.1
Opensuse4 products
- gnutls&distro=openSUSE Leap 15.4< 3.7.3-150400.4.38.1
- gnutls&distro=openSUSE Leap 15.5< 3.7.3-150400.4.38.1
- gnutls&distro=openSUSE Leap Micro 5.4< 3.7.3-150400.4.38.1
- gnutls&distro=openSUSE Tumbleweed< 3.8.2-1.1
Debian2 products
- gnutls28< 3.6.7-4+deb10u11 | < 3.7.9-2+deb12u1 | < 3.8.2-1
- debian_linuxEOL10.0
Alpine1 product
- gnutls< 3.8.3-r0
Fedoraproject1 product
- fedoraEOL37 | 38
Gnu1 product
- gnutls< 3.8.2
Mageia1 product
- gnutls< 3.8.0-2.1.mga9
Ubuntu1 product
- gnutls28All versions (No fix recorded) | < 3.6.13-2ubuntu1.9 | < 3.7.3-4ubuntu1.3 | < 3.5.18-1ubuntu1.6+esm1
9 vendors · 36 products
References
35 links- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:0155Vendor AdvisoryX Refsource REDHATAdvisoryThird Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:0319Vendor AdvisoryX Refsource REDHATAdvisoryThird Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:0399Vendor AdvisoryX Refsource REDHATAdvisoryThird Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:0451Vendor AdvisoryX Refsource REDHATAdvisoryThird Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-5981VDB EntryX Refsource REDHATREPORTThird Party AdvisoryVendor Advisory
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2248445Issue TrackingX Refsource REDHATREPORTThird Party Advisory
Show all 35 references
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/11/msg00016.htmlThird Party Advisory