Samuel a security administrator, is assessing the configuration of a web server. He noticed that the server permits SSlv2 connections, and the same private key certificate is used on a different…

Question

Options

• ADROWN attack
• BPadding oracle attack
• CSide-channel attack
• DDUHK attack

• A
  79% (33)
• B
  7% (3)
• C
  2% (1)
• D
  12% (5)

Explanation

DROWN Attack Explanation

Why A is correct: DROWN (Decrypting RSA with Obsolete and Weakened eNcryption) is specifically designed to exploit servers that support SSLv2, particularly when the same private key/certificate is shared across multiple servers. An attacker uses the SSLv2-enabled server as an oracle to decrypt TLS traffic from the more secure server, leveraging the weak SSLv2 protocol to leak cryptographic key information.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• B (Padding Oracle): This attack exploits improper handling of CBC padding in encryption/decryption, unrelated to SSLv2 or shared certificates.
• C (Side-channel): This exploits physical implementation weaknesses (timing, power consumption, electromagnetic emissions), not protocol-level vulnerabilities like SSLv2.
• D (DUHK): This targets devices using hard-coded seed keys with the ANSI X9.31 random number generator, unrelated to SSLv2 configurations.

Memory Tip: Think of DROWN as "drowning in old, weak protocols" - if your server is still swimming in SSLv2 waters and shares a certificate with another server, an attacker can drown your encrypted communications. The key trigger phrase on the exam is: SSLv2 + shared private key certificate = DROWN.

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