OpenSSH flaws addressed

The Hacker News reports that several vulnerabilities in OpenSSH have been patched as part of the OpenSSH 9.2 update, including a pre-authentication double free flaw in OpenSSH server, tracked as CVE-2023-25136, which is reported to not be exploitable but is sandboxed on most major platforms. Such a vulnerability arose from OpenSSH version 9.1, with the exposure stemming from the chunk of the "options.kex_algorithms" memory, which is freed twice, according to Qualys Vulnerability Research Manager Saeed Abbasi. MITRE noted that the flaw could prompt a condition that would ultimately enable arbitrary code execution. "While the double-free vulnerability in OpenSSH version 9.1 may raise concerns, it is essential to note that exploiting this issue is no simple task. This is due to the protective measures put in place by modern memory allocators and the robust privilege separation and sandboxing implemented in the impacted sshd process," said Abbasi. Immediate upgrades to OpenSSH 9.2 has been urged to avert possible threats.