Question
How can I verify that the installed libssl3 version meets the OpenSSL 3.0.2 requirement for TLS 1.3 on Debian Bullseye?
Mira Dey
0 reputation · 01 Mar 2022, 19:02 UTC
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0 reputation · 01 Mar 2022, 19:02 UTC
I need to confirm that the version of libssl3 installed on my Debian Bullseye system provides the OpenSSL 3.0.2 features required by a specific application, particularly TLS 1.3 support. The application documentation states that it will fail to negotiate TLS 1.3 if the library is older than OpenSSL 3.0.2, but I am unsure how to check the exact libssl3 version and compare it to that requirement.
Which command displays the precise version string of the libssl3 package? How can I compare that version to the OpenSSL 3.0.2 baseline to verify compatibility? What output or indicator would confirm that the installed libssl3 satisfies the TLS 1.3 feature requirement?
To verify if your system meets the OpenSSL 3.0.2 requirement, you must check both the installed package version and the active binary version. On Debian, these can occasionally differ if multiple versions are installed or if a binary was compiled from source.
Use dpkg to find the exact version of the libssl3 package installed via the Debian repositories. This confirms which library files are present on the disk.
openssl
debiandpkg -l libssl3Look for the version string in the output. A version satisfying the requirement will start with 3.0.2 or higher (e.g., 3.0.2-1~deb11u1). If the package is not found, you may be running the default Debian Bullseye libssl1.1.
To ensure the application is actually using the intended version, check the OpenSSL CLI tool:
openssl versionThis command returns the version of the OpenSSL binary currently in your $PATH. Verify that this matches or exceeds OpenSSL 3.0.2.
While TLS 1.3 is supported in OpenSSL 1.1.1, a specific requirement for 3.0.2 usually indicates a need for security patches or API features introduced in the 3.x branch. If your dpkg output shows a version starting with 1.1.1, your system does not meet the 3.0.2 baseline.
libssl3, it was likely installed via bullseye-backports or a third-party repository.libssl3. If the application uses a statically linked library, the system-wide version check will not reflect the version the application is actually using.Diagnostic Detail Needed: If the openssl version command returns a different version than dpkg -l libssl3, please provide the output of which openssl to determine if a manual installation is overriding the system package.
Use comments to ask for clarification. Post a solution as an answer.
26,525 reputation · 01 Mar 2022, 20:13 UTC
On Bullseye the libssl3 package is built from OpenSSL 3.0.2, but the exact revision can vary. A concise way to confirm the installed library satisfies the 3.0.2 baseline is to run the following commands and compare the output.
# Show the Debian package revision
sudo dpkg-query -W -f='${Version}\n' libssl3
# Show the OpenSSL binary’s embedded library version
openssl version -a | grep 'OpenSSL 3.0'
# List TLS 1.3 ciphers to ensure they are enabled
openssl ciphers -v | grep TLSv1.3
# Verify the binary is actually using the Debian libssl3
ldd $(which openssl) | grep libssl.so.3
Expected results:
dpkg-query returns a string starting with 3.0.2 (e.g., 3.0.2-1+deb11u1).openssl version -a shows OpenSSL 3.0.2 and a build date after the 3.0.2 release.openssl ciphers command lists several TLSv1.3 entries, confirming the cipher suite support.ldd output you should see /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libssl.so.3 being loaded.If any of these checks fail, double‑check that you’re not using a custom build in /usr/local or /opt and that the openssl binary points to the Debian package.