RUSTSEC-2023-0079: KyberSlash: division timings depending on secrets

[github-actions]

Details
Package	pqc_kyber
Version	0.4.0
URL	Argyle-Software/kyber#108
Patched Versions	n/a
Aliases	GHSA-x5j2-g63m-f8g4

Various Kyber software libraries in various environments leak secret information into timing, specifically because

• these libraries include a line of code that divides a secret numerator by a public denominator,
• the number of CPU cycles for division in various environments varies depending on the inputs to the division, and
• this variation appears within the range of numerators used in these libraries.

The KyberSlash pages track which Kyber libraries have this issue, and include a FAQ about the issue.

Author

The KyberSlash pages were written by Daniel J. Bernstein. The FAQ originally said "I", but some people seemed to have trouble finding this authorship statement, so the FAQ now says "Bernstein" instead.

URL

The permanent link for the KyberSlash pages is https://kyberslash.cr.yp.to.

Mitigation status in pqc_kyber crate

The issue has not been resolved in the upstream pqc_kyber crate.

A third-party fork that mitigates this attack vector has been published as safe_pqc_kyber.

Alternatives

The ml-kem crate is a maintained
alternative pure Rust implementation of ML-KEM / Kyber.