CVE-2014-0628 in BSAFE Micro Edition Suite
Summary
by MITRE
The server in EMC RSA BSAFE Micro Edition Suite (MES) 4.0.x before 4.0.5 does not properly process certificate chains, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0628 affects the EMC RSA BSAFE Micro Edition Suite version 4.0.x prior to 4.0.5, specifically within the server component that handles certificate chain processing. This flaw represents a critical security weakness in the cryptographic library implementation that governs secure communications within embedded and microcontroller environments. The issue manifests when the software fails to properly validate and process certificate chains, creating a potential pathway for malicious actors to disrupt system operations through carefully crafted inputs.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper handling of certificate chain validation logic within the BSAFE Micro Edition Suite. When the server component receives certificate chains that do not conform to expected patterns or contain unexpected structures, the processing routine fails to gracefully handle these edge cases. This deficiency allows attackers to craft malicious certificate inputs that trigger memory corruption or stack overflow conditions within the cryptographic processing engine. The vulnerability operates at the level of certificate chain validation and trust verification, where the software does not adequately implement bounds checking or input sanitization mechanisms that would normally prevent such failures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited without requiring authentication or specialized privileges. Remote attackers can leverage this weakness to cause daemon crashes, effectively rendering the affected system unavailable to legitimate users and potentially disrupting critical infrastructure operations. The nature of the flaw suggests that it could be triggered through various attack vectors including malformed SSL/TLS handshakes, certificate revocation list processing, or certificate validation requests. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where continuous availability is critical, such as industrial control systems, network appliances, or embedded devices that rely on secure communications.
Organizations utilizing EMC RSA BSAFE Micro Edition Suite versions 4.0.x before 4.0.5 should prioritize immediate remediation through official patches provided by EMC. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which describes improper validation of input ranges, and represents a classic example of insufficient input validation that leads to system instability. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique related to network denial of service attacks, where adversaries leverage software weaknesses to disrupt services. Additionally, the flaw demonstrates characteristics of T1566.001, which involves phishing attacks that could be used to deliver malicious certificate chains that exploit this weakness. The recommended mitigation strategy includes implementing network segmentation to limit exposure, deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for anomalous certificate processing patterns, and establishing robust patch management procedures to ensure timely deployment of vendor security updates. Organizations should also consider implementing certificate monitoring solutions that can detect and alert on unusual certificate chain structures that might indicate exploitation attempts.