CVE-2018-18984 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies
Learn about CVE-2018-18984 affecting Medtronic CareLink 2090, 9790, and 29901 Programmers. Discover the impact, technical details, and mitigation steps for this encryption vulnerability.
The Medtronic CareLink 2090 Programmer, CareLink 9790 Programmer, and 29901 Encore Programmer have a vulnerability that affects all versions, failing to encrypt sensitive information at rest.
Understanding CVE-2018-18984
These programmers by Medtronic lack proper encryption for sensitive data, posing risks to personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI).
What is CVE-2018-18984?
The vulnerability in Medtronic programmers results in the inadequate or missing encryption of sensitive data such as PII and PHI while stored.
The Impact of CVE-2018-18984
The exposure of unencrypted PII and PHI can lead to severe privacy breaches and compromise patient confidentiality and data integrity.
Technical Details of CVE-2018-18984
The technical aspects of the vulnerability in Medtronic programmers are as follows:
Vulnerability Description
The affected products fail to encrypt or inadequately encrypt sensitive information like PII and PHI while at rest, leaving data vulnerable to unauthorized access.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Product: Medtronic CareLink 2090 Programmer, CareLink 9790 Programmer, 29901 Encore Programmer
- Vendor: n/a
- Versions: All versions
Exploitation Mechanism
The vulnerability allows attackers to potentially access and exploit unencrypted sensitive data stored on the affected Medtronic programmers.
Mitigation and Prevention
To address CVE-2018-18984 and enhance security, consider the following steps:
Immediate Steps to Take
- Implement additional security measures to protect sensitive data.
- Regularly monitor and audit access to the programmers to detect any unauthorized activities.
Long-Term Security Practices
- Encrypt all sensitive data at rest to prevent unauthorized access.
- Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify and address vulnerabilities.
Patching and Updates
- Apply patches or updates provided by Medtronic to address the encryption vulnerability and enhance data protection.