New SSL Attack Lets a Malicious Listener Steal Session Cookies
New flaw in an old encryption scheme leaves the experts scrambling to disable SSL 3
Researchers at Google have discovered a flaw in SSL 3 that allows "the plaintext of secure connections to be calculated by a network attacker." The vulnerability, known as POODLE (Padding Oracle On Downgraded Legacy Extension), is a form of man-in-the-middle attack, in which the attacker injects malicious JavaScript into the victim's browser. The attack, which is especially dangerous for an insecure wireless network such as a coffee house or other public space, results in information disclosure. For instance, the attacker can obtain session cookies from the target browser and use them to access the victim's online accounts.
SSL 3 is over 18 years old, and has long since been deprecated in favor of more advanced technologies, such as the heir-apparent TLS protocol, which is now the recommended replacement for SSL. The real problem is that browsers and servers are often configured to negotiate an encryption protocol. If the highest level protocol isn't available, the server will allow a connection with a less secure alternative. The attacker can thus coax the target to use SSL 3 even if more secure options are available.
The POODLE problem is not something that is easily patched, and, given the fact that SSL 3 is obsolete anyway, experts are advising users,admins, and developers to disable it. Mozilla has announced that SSL 3 will be disabled by default in the Firefox 34 release, which is due in November.
According to the post at the Google Online Security blog, "...our recommended response is to support TLS_FALLBACK_SCSV. This is a mechanism that solves the problems caused by retrying failed connections and thus prevents attackers from inducing browsers to use SSL 3.0. It also prevents downgrades from TLS 1.2 to 1.1 or 1.0 and so may help prevent future attacks." The TLS_FALLBACK_SCSV indicator was created by Google and implemented for Chrome browsers. Mozilla has announced that it will implement TLS_FALLBACK_SCSV in Firefox in early 2015.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.
-
Linux Kernel 6.14 Released
The latest Linux kernel has arrived with extra Rust support and more.
-
EndeavorOS Mercury Neo Available
A new release from the EndeavorOS team ships with Plasma 6.3 and other goodies.
-
Fedora 42 Beta Has Arrived
The Fedora Project has announced the availability of the first beta release for version 42 of the open-source distribution.
-
Dash to Panel Maintainer Quits
Charles Gagnon has stepped away as maintainer of the popular Dash to Panel Gnome extension.
-
CIQ Releases Security-Hardened Version of Rocky Linux
If you're looking for an enterprise-grade Linux distribution that is hardened for business use, there's a new version of Rocky Linux that's sure to make you and your company happy.
-
Gnome’s Dash to Panel Extension Gets a Massive Update
If you're a fan of the Gnome Dash to Panel extension, you'll be thrilled to hear that a new version has been released with a dock mode.
-
Blender App Makes it to the Big Screen
The animated film "Flow" won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards held on March 2, 2025 and Blender was a part of it.
-
Linux Mint Retools the Cinnamon App Launcher
The developers of Linux Mint are working on an improved Cinnamon App Launcher with a better, more accessible UI.
-
New Linux Tool for Security Issues
Seal Security is launching a new solution to automate fixing Linux vulnerabilities.