Overview
This vulnerability may allow an attacker to make unauthorized connections to affected client machines.
Description
Older versions of the SSH client do not allow the user to disable X11 forwarding. As a result, if the client connects to a malicious server, the server can open an X11 connection to the client's display without notifying the client. The attacker would then have access to the client's X11 session, which would permit activities such as keystroke monitoring. It is also possible for an attacker to make X11 connections to the client by taking over the victim's TCP connection; however, this should generate a client-side warning about changed host keys. If the client responds to the prompt by breaking the connection, no keystrokes or sensitive data will be transmitted. |
Impact
Attackers can make unauthorized connections to victim machines, potentially accessing sensitive data. |
Solution
Upgrade to a version of SSH that allows X11 forwarding to be disabled. |
Vendor Information
CVSS Metrics
| Group | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|
| Base | ||
| Temporal | ||
| Environmental |
References
Acknowledgements
The CERT/CC thanks Antti Huima, Tuomas Aura, and Janne Salmi for their analysis and Tatu Ylonen for bringing this vulnerability to our attention.
This document was written by Jeffrey P. Lanza.
Other Information
| CVE IDs: | CVE-2000-0217 |
| Severity Metric: | 0.42 |
| Date Public: | 2001-01-18 |
| Date First Published: | 2001-01-18 |
| Date Last Updated: | 2002-03-05 22:52 UTC |
| Document Revision: | 6 |