Created attachment 369958 [details] Updated "hobble-openssl" script (do not exclude MDC-2 from build) Description of problem: openssl does not use the MDC-2 algorithm (it is disable by the script "hobble-openssl), even though the relative patent (US patent number 4908861) has expired on 03/13/2002 (see "Get Bibliographic Data" from https://ramps.uspto.gov/eram/getMaintFeesInfo.do?patentNum=4908861&applicationNum=07090633). Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): All version up to 0.9.8k-5.fc11. Also applies to previous versions such as all those released so far for Fedora 10. How reproducible: Build the package using the .spec file provided in the srpm package. Steps to Reproduce: 1. Build the package using the .spec file provided in the srpm package. 2. 3. Actual results: The script "hobble-openssl" gets rid of the MDC-2 algorithm in the openssl source code. Expected results: Because the MDC-2 algorithm is no longer patented, the openssl binary package should include it. Additional info: An updated "hobble-openssl" script has been attached to this feature request.
We cannot enable compilation of MDC-2 as it would break ABI - the EVP structures are modified by disabling/enabling algorithms.
I recognize there is an error in the updated script, in that line 22 should be: for c in `find crypto/evp -name "*_rc5.c" -o -name "*_idea.c" -o -name "*_ecdsa.c"`; do but otherwise, I can't see any structure being modified by the (un-)definition of OPENSSL_NO_MDC2...
OK, you're right, the structures are modified only for public key algorithms. But I am not quite sure the MDC-2 algorithm support is so critically needed as the algorithm is based on DES with 56bit key length and so the hash is unfortunately pretty weak. It would be much better if it was based on 128bit AES however this variant of MDC-2 is neither standardized nor implemented in OpenSSL. I might enable MDC-2 in rawhide though.
The only structure that is being modified by switching on and off the [OPENSSL_]_NO_MDC2 definition is the (array of) structure(s) FUNCTION functions[] in apps/progs.h which is an hash table used internally and not being exported. Only algorithms such as Elliptic Curves are modifying exported structures. MDC2 hash is 128 bit long (8 * MDC2_DIGEST_LENGTH = 8 * 16 = 128, see mdc2/mdc2.h). If you have a better version to contribute, you can still submit it to OpenSSL developers... I see that MDC2 based on AES 128 bit has been reported as having a very good security confidence, but it's outside of the scope of this feature request. Please note the error at line 22 of the attached "hobble-openssl" script.
By the way, the expiration date for IDEA in the "hobble-openssl" script is probably wrong, as the patent application has been on 01/07/1992 and therefore the patent should expire on the 7th of January 2012 (20-years term, all fees have been paid).
Yes, I said that in comment 3 already - the exported structures are modified only with enabling/disabling public key algorithms not with hashes. So I apologize for the mistake in comment 1. On the other hand encouraging the use of MDC-2 in its current form where it is based on 56bit DES cipher is not something I'd like to do so I am not quite convinced enabling it in Fedora packages is so critically necessary. What is your reason for needing it in Fedora?
No problem for comment 1. I've also made mistakes in the original report ! I would not take that adding a new feature necessarily means that the use of the new feature is encouraged. MD5 for example is the default in the library (see parameter "default_md" modified by patch openssl-0.9.8a-defaults.patch), despite it has supposedly been broken... I have no particular reason for the new feature (MDC2 hash) other than maintaining the package up to date and more similar to the original implementation. I just noticed the patent-expiration issue did not longer hold true and other users requesting the feature, that's it really. It would still need to be explicitly requested by users that supposedly know what they are doing and are willing to take responsibility for doing it.
If you decide to enable MDC2, you also need to change the .spec file at line 202 (by removing "no-mdc2" from the Configure parameters). By the way, I have also noticed that the default configuration of using SHA1 message digests (see openssl-0.9.8a-defaults.patch) could be now upgraded to SHA2 (for example SHA512), as recommended (and in some cases made mandatory by 2010) by NIST (see http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/ST/hash/policy.html).
This bug appears to have been reported against 'rawhide' during the Fedora 13 development cycle. Changing version to '13'. More information and reason for this action is here: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/BugZappers/HouseKeeping
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Fedora 13 changed to end-of-life (EOL) status on 2011-06-25. Fedora 13 is no longer maintained, which means that it will not receive any further security or bug fix updates. As a result we are closing this bug. If you can reproduce this bug against a currently maintained version of Fedora please feel free to reopen this bug against that version. Thank you for reporting this bug and we are sorry it could not be fixed.