VulnerabilityPublished 16 Jan 2024Updated 15 Oct 2026

CVE-2024-0553: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 · Observable Discrepancy

Affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8Source CVE Database V5

Mentioned vulnerabilities

CVE-2023-5981

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High : upgrade Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 to 3.8.3 soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 09:15 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 1.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 75% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 3.8.3

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 16 Jan 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade gnutls to 3.8.3.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
gnutls	Affected >=3.8.0 <3.8.3	Fixed in 3.8.3
Debiandebian/gnutls`pkg:deb/debian/gnutls`Other threats	Affected =3.8.0	Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2024-0553, organizations should first apply any available patches or updates from the GnuTLS project that address this timing side-channel vulnerability. If an official patch is not yet available, consider disabling RSA-PSK key exchange methods in GnuTLS configurations to prevent exposure to the vulnerable code path. Employ constant-time cryptographic operations where possible to eliminate timing discrepancies during ciphertext processing. Network-level mitigations such as restricting access to services using GnuTLS to trusted networks or employing intrusion detection systems to monitor for abnormal timing attack patterns can reduce risk. Additionally, implement strict cryptographic policy management to prefer more secure key exchange mechanisms like ECDHE over RSA-PSK. Regularly audit and update cryptographic libraries and dependencies to ensure all known vulnerabilities are addressed promptly. Finally, monitor threat intelligence feeds for any emerging exploit attempts targeting this vulnerability to enable rapid incident response.

Description

A vulnerability was found in GnuTLS. The response times to malformed ciphertexts in RSA-PSK ClientKeyExchange differ from the response times of ciphertexts with correct PKCS#1 v1.5 padding. This issue may allow a remote attacker to perform a timing side-channel attack in the RSA-PSK key exchange, potentially leading to the leakage of sensitive data. CVE-2024-0553 is designated as an incomplete resolution for CVE-2023-5981.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-0553 is the potential leakage of sensitive cryptographic keys or session information during the RSA-PSK key exchange, compromising the confidentiality of communications protected by GnuTLS 3.8.0. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to decrypt intercepted traffic or impersonate legitimate parties, leading to data breaches, loss of privacy, and undermining trust in secure communications. Since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability, the attack does not directly cause data modification or service disruption. However, the confidentiality breach can have cascading effects, including exposure of sensitive organizational data, intellectual property theft, and enabling further attacks such as man-in-the-middle or session hijacking. Organizations relying on GnuTLS for secure communications, especially in critical infrastructure, financial services, government, and technology sectors, face significant risks if this vulnerability is exploited. The ease of remote exploitation without authentication increases the threat level, particularly in environments where RSA-PSK key exchange is enabled and exposed to untrusted networks.

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Mar 2026, 00:31 UTC

Technical details

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