Crypt::PBKDF2 versions before 0.261630 for Perl are vulnerable to timing attacks. These versions use Perl's built-in eq comparison. Discrepancies in timing could be used to guess the underlying derived-key.

It is, therefore, affected by multiple vulnerabilities as referenced in the ALAS2023-2026-1891 advisory.

    Crypt::PBKDF2 versions before 0.261630 for Perl are vulnerable to timing attacks.

    These versions use Perl's built-in eq comparison. Discrepancies in timing could be used to guess the     underlying derived-key. (CVE-2017-20240)

    Crypt::PBKDF2 versions before 0.261630 for Perl generate insecure random values for salts.

    These versions use the built-in rand function, which is predictable and unsuitable for cryptography.
    (CVE-2026-9638)

    Crypt::PBKDF2 versions before 0.261630 for Perl have a weak default algorithm and number of iterations.

    The default algorithm is HMAC-SHA1, which should only be used for legacy systems.

    These versions default to using 1000 iterations.

    Depending on the chosen algorithm, 220,000 to 1,400,000 iterations should be used. (CVE-2026-9641)

Tenable has extracted the preceding description block directly from the tested product security advisory.

Note that Nessus has not tested for these issues but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version number.

The remote Fedora 44 host has a package installed that is affected by multiple vulnerabilities as referenced in the FEDORA-2026-5b12cc327e advisory.

    This update addresses a number of security issues:

     * Change the default hash algorithm to HMAC-SHA256, and increase the default number of iterations to     600,000, in line with current OWASP recommendations (CVE-2026-9641)
     * Generate salts using `Crypt::URandom` (a strong system RNG) instead of perl's builtin `rand()`, which     is not cryptographically secure (CVE-2026-9638)
     * Use a constant-time comparison in `validate` to avoid timing attacks (CVE-2017-20240)



Tenable has extracted the preceding description block directly from the Fedora security advisory.

Note that Nessus has not tested for these issues but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version number.

The remote Fedora 43 host has a package installed that is affected by multiple vulnerabilities as referenced in the FEDORA-2026-e8231b773d advisory.

    This update addresses a number of security issues:

     * Change the default hash algorithm to HMAC-SHA256, and increase the default number of iterations to     600,000, in line with current OWASP recommendations (CVE-2026-9641)
     * Generate salts using `Crypt::URandom` (a strong system RNG) instead of perl's builtin `rand()`, which     is not cryptographically secure (CVE-2026-9638)
     * Use a constant-time comparison in `validate` to avoid timing attacks (CVE-2017-20240)



Tenable has extracted the preceding description block directly from the Fedora security advisory.

Note that Nessus has not tested for these issues but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version number.

The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed that are impacted by a vulnerability without a vendor supplied patch available.

  - Crypt::PBKDF2 versions before 0.261630 for Perl are vulnerable to timing attacks. These versions use     Perl's built-in eq comparison. Discrepancies in timing could be used to guess the underlying derived-key.
    (CVE-2017-20240)

Note that Nessus relies on the presence of the package as reported by the vendor.

ID	Name	Product	Family	Severity
322062	Amazon Linux 2023 : perl-Crypt-PBKDF2 (ALAS2023-2026-1891)	Nessus	Amazon Linux Local Security Checks	high
321863	Fedora 44 : perl-Crypt-PBKDF2 (2026-5b12cc327e)	Nessus	Fedora Local Security Checks	high
321854	Fedora 43 : perl-Crypt-PBKDF2 (2026-e8231b773d)	Nessus	Fedora Local Security Checks	high
320906	Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2017-20240	Nessus	Misc.	medium

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CVE-2017-20240

medium

Tenable Plugins

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