[Pkg-openssl-devel] Bug#728504: Bug#728504: libssl1.0.0: please disable RC4 by default

[Kurt Roeckx]

On Fri, Nov 01, 2013 at 11:57:26PM +0000, brian m. carlson wrote:
> Package: openssl
> Version: 1.0.1e-4
> Severity: wishlist
> 
> RC4 is insecure.  It has significant biases in its output, even if you
> drop the beginning of the keystream.  It is considered insecure when
> used in WEP, in WPA, in TLS, and as a PRNG.  Nobody should still be
> using it, certainly not by default.  Please disable it by default in TLS
> negotiations and wherever else a default list of ciphers is provided.

I don't think this is currently doable.  The problem is that
internet explorer on XP only has 2 ciphers you would want to
use and that's RC4 or 3DES.  And people seem to prefer using
RC4 over 3DES to talk to it.

Anyway, I wouldn't call RC4 insecure, but it probably is
problematic.  It's currently probably also the most commonly used
cipher.

Anyway I really hope nobody uses the cipher list of DEFAULT since
it includes 40 bit ciphers.  But maybe some applications do.


Kurt