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openpgp/packet: reject too-short decrypted session key in EncryptedKey.Decrypt#359

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openpgp/packet: reject too-short decrypted session key in EncryptedKey.Decrypt#359
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adilburaksen:fix/openpgp-encryptedkey-short-session-key

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@adilburaksen adilburaksen commented Jun 13, 2026

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EncryptedKey.Decrypt (openpgp/packet/encrypted_key.go) decrypts a
public-key-encrypted session key and then reads it without any length
check:

e.CipherFunc = CipherFunction(b[0])
e.Key = b[1 : len(b)-2]
expectedChecksum := uint16(b[len(b)-2])<<8 | uint16(b[len(b)-1])

b is the result of RSA, ElGamal or ECDH decryption. A crafted
public-key-encrypted message whose ciphertext decrypts to fewer than
three octets makes these operations panic: len(b)==0 panics on b[0],
and len(b)<3 panics on b[1:len(b)-2] (e.g. b[1:0]). This is reachable
from ReadMessage when decrypting an attacker-supplied message with the
recipient's private key, a denial of service for any program that
decrypts untrusted OpenPGP messages.

The fix rejects len(b) < 3 with a StructuralError before indexing. A
valid session key is one cipher-algorithm octet plus key material plus
a two-octet checksum, so three octets is the minimum. This complements
PR #348 (which guards elgamal.Decrypt against an empty result): the
caller still needs at least the cipher octet plus the two checksum
octets, and the RSA and ECDH decryption paths were unguarded entirely.

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This PR (HEAD: 5fa27db) has been imported to Gerrit for code review.

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Message from Gopher Robot:

Patch Set 1:

(1 comment)


Please don’t reply on this GitHub thread. Visit golang.org/cl/790422.
After addressing review feedback, remember to publish your drafts!

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Message from Gopher Robot:

Patch Set 1:

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EncryptedKey.Decrypt reads the decrypted session key as b[0] (cipher),
b[1:len(b)-2] (key) and b[len(b)-2:] (checksum) without a length check.
A crafted public-key-encrypted message whose RSA, ElGamal or ECDH
ciphertext decrypts to fewer than three octets makes these index and
slice operations panic (index out of range / slice bounds out of
range). This is reachable from ReadMessage when decrypting an
attacker-supplied message, a denial of service for programs that
decrypt untrusted OpenPGP messages.

Reject len(b) < 3 with a StructuralError before indexing.
@adilburaksen adilburaksen force-pushed the fix/openpgp-encryptedkey-short-session-key branch from 5fa27db to a9eefe7 Compare June 13, 2026 18:48
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This PR (HEAD: a9eefe7) has been imported to Gerrit for code review.

Please visit Gerrit at https://go-review.googlesource.com/c/crypto/+/790422.

Important tips:

  • Don't comment on this PR. All discussion takes place in Gerrit.
  • You need a Gmail or other Google account to log in to Gerrit.
  • To change your code in response to feedback:
    • Push a new commit to the branch used by your GitHub PR.
    • A new "patch set" will then appear in Gerrit.
    • Respond to each comment by marking as Done in Gerrit if implemented as suggested. You can alternatively write a reply.
    • Critical: you must click the blue Reply button near the top to publish your Gerrit responses.
    • Multiple commits in the PR will be squashed by GerritBot.
  • The title and description of the GitHub PR are used to construct the final commit message.
    • Edit these as needed via the GitHub web interface (not via Gerrit or git).
    • You should word wrap the PR description at ~76 characters unless you need longer lines (e.g., for tables or URLs).
  • See the Sending a change via GitHub and Reviews sections of the Contribution Guide as well as the FAQ for details.

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