FIPS mode inconsistencies

[etnbrd]

Version

v18.20.5

Platform

Linux 0548dc7eadc2 5.15.49-linuxkit-pr #1 SMP PREEMPT Thu May 25 07:27:39 UTC 2023 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Subsystem

crypto

What steps will reproduce the bug?

The actual test:

node -p 'const crypto = require("crypto"); \
         console.log(crypto.getFips()); \
         crypto.setFips(true); \
         console.log(crypto.getFips()); \
         crypto.createHash("md5")';

Setting up the test platform, even though this fail in most platform tested:

docker run --rm -it --user root ubuntu:22.04
apt update
apt install curl
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash
cd
. .nvm/nvm.sh

How often does it reproduce? Is there a required condition?

Always

What is the expected behavior? Why is that the expected behavior?

Even though fips was enabled, because the fips module is unavailable at the OS level, it should not throw, and return the md5 hash function.

What do you see instead?

node throws the error ERR_OSSL_EVP_UNSUPPORTED, as if FIPS was available.

Additional information

I'm confused by this behaviour, and I'm not sure what to make of it.

• either it's a bug, fips is not really enabled, but node behave as if it were enabled
• or node embed the fips module somehow, but based on this issue, I find it unlikely.

I tested this behaviour on:

• node v18.20.5
• node v20.18.1
• node v22.11.0

$ for node_version in 18 20 22
> do
>   nvm install $node_version; node -p 'const crypto = require("crypto"); console.log(crypto.getFips()); crypto.setFips(true); console.log(crypto.getFips()); crypto.createHash("md5")';
> done
v18.20.5 is already installed.
Now using node v18.20.5 (npm v10.8.2)
0
1
node:internal/crypto/hash:69
  this[kHandle] = new _Hash(algorithm, xofLen);
                  ^

Error: error:0308010C:digital envelope routines::unsupported
    at new Hash (node:internal/crypto/hash:69:19)
    at Object.createHash (node:crypto:133:10)
    at [eval]:1:126
    at runScriptInThisContext (node:internal/vm:143:10)
    at node:internal/process/execution:100:14
    at [eval]-wrapper:6:24
    at runScript (node:internal/process/execution:83:62)
    at evalScript (node:internal/process/execution:114:10)
    at node:internal/main/eval_string:30:3 {
  opensslErrorStack: [ 'error:03000086:digital envelope routines::initialization error' ],
  library: 'digital envelope routines',
  reason: 'unsupported',
  code: 'ERR_OSSL_EVP_UNSUPPORTED'
}

Node.js v18.20.5
v20.18.1 is already installed.
Now using node v20.18.1 (npm v10.8.2)
0
1
node:internal/crypto/hash:79
  this[kHandle] = new _Hash(algorithm, xofLen, algorithmId, getHashCache());
                  ^

Error: error:0308010C:digital envelope routines::unsupported
    at new Hash (node:internal/crypto/hash:79:19)
    at Object.createHash (node:crypto:139:10)
    at [eval]:1:161
    at runScriptInThisContext (node:internal/vm:209:10)
    at node:internal/process/execution:118:14
    at [eval]-wrapper:6:24
    at runScript (node:internal/process/execution:101:62)
    at evalScript (node:internal/process/execution:133:3)
    at node:internal/main/eval_string:51:3 {
  opensslErrorStack: [
    'error:03000086:digital envelope routines::initialization error',
    'error:0308010C:digital envelope routines::unsupported'
  ],
  library: 'digital envelope routines',
  reason: 'unsupported',
  code: 'ERR_OSSL_EVP_UNSUPPORTED'
}

Node.js v20.18.1
v22.11.0 is already installed.
Now using node v22.11.0 (npm v10.9.0)
0
1
node:internal/crypto/hash:79
  this[kHandle] = new _Hash(algorithm, xofLen, algorithmId, getHashCache());
                  ^

Error: error:0308010C:digital envelope routines::unsupported
    at new Hash (node:internal/crypto/hash:79:19)
    at Object.createHash (node:crypto:139:10)
    at [eval]:1:161
    at runScriptInThisContext (node:internal/vm:209:10)
    at node:internal/process/execution:118:14
    at [eval]-wrapper:6:24
    at runScript (node:internal/process/execution:101:62)
    at evalScript (node:internal/process/execution:136:3)
    at node:internal/main/eval_string:55:3 {
  opensslErrorStack: [
    'error:03000086:digital envelope routines::initialization error',
    'error:0308010C:digital envelope routines::unsupported'
  ],
  library: 'digital envelope routines',
  reason: 'unsupported',
  code: 'ERR_OSSL_EVP_UNSUPPORTED'
}

Node.js v22.11.0

[richardlau]

What is the expected behavior? Why is that the expected behavior?

Even though fips was enabled, because the fips module is unavailable at the OS level, it should not throw, and return the md5 hash function.

Official Node.js binaries from Node.js 17 onwards include OpenSSL 3. OpenSSL 3 underwent a significant redesign compared to OpenSSL 1.0 and 1.1. In particular the new provider model means:

1. Providers can have any name, so you cannot assume what they provide from name alone. This means, for example, that a FIPS capable provider may not be called "fips". Or the opposite, a provider called "fips" may not, in fact, offer any FIPS compatible algorithms (admittedly that would be extremely confusing).
2. Providers are dynamic. They can be loaded and unloaded while the application (i.e. Node.js) is running (although currently you'd have to write an addon to do that).
3. FIPS in OpenSSL is now a property filter.

In Node.js when you enable FIPS via crypto.setFips() with OpenSSL 3 that turns on the fips=yes default property which means that when an algorithm (e.g. md5) is requested OpenSSL will only return an algorithm if it has that property. Since md5 is not an approved FIPS compatible algorithm, you will get the ERR_OSSL_EVP_UNSUPPORTED error.

[etnbrd]

Thanks a lot for this explanation 🙏

However, I guess that the FIPS provider/module is required to get FIPS approved. Otherwise, there would be no need to install the FIPS module, as explained in the documentation, right? https://nodejs.org/api/crypto.html#fips-mode

So if that's right, node and OpenSSL could well behave like the FIPS provider/module is loaded and used, while it's actually another provider/module providing all the same algorithms but without the FIPS approval.

In that case, is there any way to make sure from node, that the approved FIPS provider is loaded?

Or is the documentation mentioning the FIPS provider as one of the available FIPS compliant providers, but it's not the only one, and the default provider in provided in Ubuntu is actually FIPS compliant as well, so there is no need to install anything?

[richardlau]

In that case, is there any way to make sure from node, that the approved FIPS provider is loaded?

No, Node.js has no way of knowing if any provider is either FIPS capable or FIPS certified.

Or is the documentation mentioning the FIPS provider as one of the available FIPS compliant providers, but it's not the only one, and the default provider in provided in Ubuntu is actually FIPS compliant as well, so there is no need to install anything?

I believe Ubuntu (and other Linux distributions) offer a FIPS solution, but you'd need to read and follow the documentation for the particular distribution you are using.

[etnbrd]

Thanks a lot for your help. I believe we can close this issue, then.