Description
The default IPSec ifup script in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 through 5 configures racoon to use aggressive IKE mode instead of main IKE mode, which makes it easier for remote attackers to conduct brute force attacks by sniffing an unencrypted preshared key (PSK) hash.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 5 | initscripts | 8.45.42-1.el5 | RHSA-2012:0312 |
Advisories 1
- RHSA-2012:0312 Red Hat Security Advisory: initscripts security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
References
- http://www.ernw.de/download/pskattack.pdf
- ipsec-ifup-weak-security(41053) vdb-entry
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=435274
- 48045 third-party-advisory
- 1019563 vdb-entry