CVE-2016-6882 Matrixssl CVE debrief

Who should care

Organizations running MatrixSSL 3.8.6 or earlier, especially if their TLS configuration enables DHE_RSA-based cipher suites and relies on RSA private keys. This matters most for internet-facing services and embedded devices that use MatrixSSL for TLS.

Technical summary

The published NVD summary states that MatrixSSL before 3.8.7, when the DHE_RSA based cipher suite is supported, can leak RSA private key information via a Lenstra side-channel attack. The affected version range in the NVD CPE data ends at 3.8.6. NVD also classifies the weakness under CWE-200 and CWE-320, with CVSS v3.0 vector AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.

Defensive priority

Medium. Patch promptly if MatrixSSL is in use, because the issue can expose RSA key material and affect TLS confidentiality even without authentication.

Recommended defensive actions

• Upgrade MatrixSSL to version 3.8.7 or later.
• Confirm whether DHE_RSA-based cipher suites are enabled in production TLS configurations.
• If immediate patching is not possible, disable DHE_RSA-based cipher suites where operationally feasible.
• Inventory all products and embedded deployments that bundle MatrixSSL and verify whether they are at or below 3.8.6.
• Review whether exposed RSA keys should be rotated after remediation, especially if the affected configuration was widely deployed.
• Use the MatrixSSL release notes and vendor-related references to validate the remediation path before redeploying.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based on the NVD CVE record and the linked references in the supplied corpus. The NVD summary explicitly describes the MatrixSSL before 3.8.7 / DHE_RSA / Lenstra side-channel condition, and the NVD CPE data identifies versions through 3.8.6 as affected. Supporting references include the oss-security mailing list post, a Red Hat advisory, MatrixSSL release notes, and a technical description paper.

Official resources