SecPod

Learn Search

Search across all Learn content

← Back to Security Research

FREAK Attack?

Another potentially dangerous vulnerability called FREAK (Factoring Attack on RSA-EXPORT Keys) is being true to its name and is freaking out all Android and Apple device users. This SSL/TLS vulnerability has over the years exposed millions of Android and Apple devices to attacks when they visit supp...

Mar 4, 2015By Sindhu Rao2 min read

Another potentially dangerous vulnerability called FREAK (Factoring Attack on RSA-EXPORT Keys) is being true to its name and is freaking out all Android and Apple device users. This SSL/TLS vulnerability has over the years exposed millions of Android and Apple devices to attacks when they visit supposedly ‘secured’ websites, which is what makes it dangerous. A vulnerability management tool can stop this danger.

This vulnerability with CVE-2015-0204 allows man in the middle (MitM) attack enabling hackers to force clients to downgrade connections from ‘strong’ RSA to ‘export-grade’ RSA or 512 bit RSA cipher suites. A patch management tool can remediate this CVE.

FREAK is similar to POODLE which allowed hackers to downgrade the entire SSL/TLS Internet-communication security suite to the weakest possible version. FREAK affects only those SSL/TLS implementations that accept export versions of protocols that use the RSA encryption algorithm. It is possible to carry out this attack when a vulnerable device connects to an HTTPS-protected website.

How you can stay secure:

We encourage all Android and Apple device users to check for top vulnerable websites and ask all web server administrators to disable support for export-grade cipher suites, including all known insecure ciphers, and enable forward secrecy.
You can also use an online tool to check if a website is vulnerable or not.

At the moment, Windows and Linux end-user devices are not believed to be affected. We will keep you posted if that changes!

Featured Posts

Open BlueMoon: The Exploit Kit Powering Multiple Spy Groups and Zero-Day Attacks
BlueMoon: The Exploit Kit Powering Multiple Spy Groups and Zero-Day Attacks

CVE Research

BlueMoon: The Exploit Kit Powering Multiple Spy Groups and Zero-Day Attacks

Sep 16, 2026

Open CVE-2026-76461: Critical Cisco Secure Email Gateway SQL Injection Flaw Under Active Exploitation
CVE-2026-76461: Critical Cisco Secure Email Gateway SQL Injection Flaw Under Active Exploitation

CVE Research

CVE-2026-76461: Critical Cisco Secure Email Gateway SQL Injection Flaw Under Active Exploitation

Sep 16, 2026

Open Plex Releases Security Fixes for Media Server and Desktop Clients - Users Urged to Update Immediately
Plex Releases Security Fixes for Media Server and Desktop Clients - Users Urged to Update Immediately

CVE Research

Plex Releases Security Fixes for Media Server and Desktop Clients - Users Urged to Update Immediately

Plex has released security updates for Plex Media Server and Plex Desktop and is urging users to upgrade immediately. Plex Media Server v1.43.2 and earlier should be moved to version 1.43.3; Plex Desktop should be updated to 1.115.0. CVE identifiers have been requested, and full technical details are not public yet. This article covers the fixed versions, how to update across Windows, macOS, Linux, NAS, Docker, and other platforms, and what administrators should do now.

Sep 15, 2026

Open From Gitea Exploitation to Root Access: Uncovering Red Heron’s Global Attack Campaign
From Gitea Exploitation to Root Access: Uncovering Red Heron’s Global Attack Campaign

CVE Research

From Gitea Exploitation to Root Access: Uncovering Red Heron’s Global Attack Campaign

Sep 15, 2026