Google Chrome Repository Insecurity
From Whonix
Google Chrome Repository Insecurity[edit]
Summary[edit]
As per 14 March 2021,
- Google wants you to install a weak cryptographic key (DSA key with only 1024 bits) as a Debian package manager APT key.
- Repository download happens over plain http without encryption/authentication (TLS) (https).
Source[edit]
Signing Key[edit]
As per 14 March 2021, Google wants you to run the following command. (archived [archive])
wget -q -O - https://dl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add -
This effectively results in installing a weak cryptographic key (DSA key with only 1024 bits) as a Debian package manager APT key.
What this does is using the wget command line downloader to download an APT signing key and then using Debian's apt-key utility to install the signing key to the system's APT keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg. Sidenote: both apt-key and /etc/apt/trusted.gpg are deprecated by Debian [1] but that doesn't have a security impact here.
1) Download https://dl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub [archive]
2) View OpenPGP key information.
gpg --keyid-format long --import --import-options show-only --with-fingerprint linux_signing_key.pub
3) Will show.
pub dsa1024/A040830F7FAC5991 2007-03-08 [SC]
Key fingerprint = 4CCA 1EAF 950C EE4A B839 76DC A040 830F 7FAC 5991
uid Google, Inc. Linux Package Signing Key <linux-packages-keymaster@google.com>
sub elg2048/4F30B6B4C07CB649 2007-03-08 [E]
gpg: key 7721F63BD38B4796: 2 signatures not checked due to missing keys
pub rsa4096/7721F63BD38B4796 2016-04-12 [SC]
Key fingerprint = EB4C 1BFD 4F04 2F6D DDCC EC91 7721 F63B D38B 4796
uid Google Inc. (Linux Packages Signing Authority) <linux-packages-keymaster@google.com>
sub rsa4096/78BD65473CB3BD13 2019-07-22 [S] [expires: 2022-07-21]
The first key shows dsa1024 which means a DSA key with only 1024 bits.
In January 2011 the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) stated, quote [archive]:
Disallowed after 2013
Google seems to agree with this assessment since their signing key file linux_signing_key.pub already contains a newer key rsa4096 (RSA with 4096 bits). There is however no need whatsoever to still include the weak dsa1024 in the signing key file linux_signing_key.pub.
Repository[edit]
1) Download https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb [archive] (archived google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb [archive])
2) Extract or open with ark the google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb compressed archive file.
ark google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
3) Extract or open control.tar.gz a file inside the google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb compressed archive file.
4) Open the file postinst (the Debian package maintenance script by the google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb Debian package).
5) Line 137 is:
REPOCONFIG="deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main"
6) Conclusion.
Using plain http instead of https (TLS).
Other sources showing using http instead of https:
Bug Reports[edit]
- Security: Chrome Linux (Debian) Package Repository using unauthenticated HTTP instead of authenticated HTTPS (TLS) [archive]
- Security: Debian Package Repository using unauthenticated HTTP instead of authenticated HTTPS [archive]
Related[edit]
- Chrome
- Chromium
- Dev/Chromium
- Dev/Kicksecure Default Browser
- Chromium Browser for Kicksecure Discussions (not Whonix) [archive]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑
Quote https://blog.jak-linux.org/2021/02/18/apt-2.2/ [archive]
apt-key was made obsolete in version 0.7.25.1, released in January 2010, by /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d becoming a supported place to drop additional keyring files, and was since then only intended for deleting keys in the legacy trusted.gpg keyring.
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