crystals-go vulnerable to KyberSlash (timing side-channel attack for Kyber)GHSA-f6jh-hvg2-9525
Fix: kudelskisecurity/crystals-go#20GHSA-f6jh-hvg2-9525 is a security vulnerability in github.com/kudelskisecurity/crystals-go. A fix is available for github.com/kudelskisecurity/crystals-go — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/kudelskisecurity/crystals-goReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
On some platforms, when an attacker can time decapsulation of Kyber on forged cipher texts, they could possibly learn (parts of) the secret key.
Patches
Patched in https://github.com/kudelskisecurity/crystals-go/pull/21
Note
This library was written as part of a MsC student project in the Cybersecurity Team at Kudelski Security. It is not actively maintained anymore. It is only intended for research and testing. We discourage its use in any production environment. Kudelski Security does not use this library as part of their commercial offers or product. This has now been clarified on the project's README.
References
https://groups.google.com/a/list.nist.gov/g/pqc-forum/c/ldX0ThYJuBo http://kyberslash.cr.yp.to/
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/kudelskisecurity/crystals-go | all versions | 0.0.0-20240116172146-2a6ca2d4e64dgo get github.com/kudelskisecurity/crystals-go@v0.0.0-20240116172146-2a6ca2d4e64d |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/kudelskisecurity/crystals-go, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/kudelskisecurity/crystals-go to 0.0.0-20240116172146-2a6ca2d4e64d or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-f6jh-hvg2-9525 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-f6jh-hvg2-9525 in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.