CVE-2015-7267 in 850 Pro
Summary
by MITRE
Samsung 850 Pro and PM851 solid-state drives and Seagate ST500LT015 and ST500LT025 hard disk drives, when in sleep mode and operating in Opal or eDrive mode on Lenovo ThinkPad T440s laptops with BIOS 2.32; ThinkPad W541 laptops with BIOS 2.21; Dell Latitude E6410 laptops with BIOS A16; or Latitude E6430 laptops with BIOS A16, allow physically proximate attackers to bypass self-encrypting drive (SED) protection by leveraging failure to detect when SATA drives are unplugged in Sleep Mode, aka a "Hot Plug attack."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/10/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-7267 represents a critical flaw in self-encrypting drive (SED) implementations that affects specific hardware configurations including Samsung 850 Pro and PM851 SSDs alongside Seagate ST500LT015 and ST500LT025 HDDs. This security weakness manifests when drives operate in either Opal or eDrive encryption modes while the system is in sleep state, creating a window of opportunity for attackers to bypass encryption protections through physical proximity attacks. The vulnerability specifically targets Lenovo ThinkPad and Dell Latitude laptop models with particular BIOS versions, demonstrating how hardware and firmware interactions can create unexpected security gaps in enterprise environments where portable devices are commonly used.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the failure of the SED implementation to properly detect when SATA drives are physically disconnected during sleep mode operations. When a drive enters sleep state, the encryption controller should maintain awareness of the drive's connection status and prevent unauthorized access attempts. However, the flaw allows attackers to physically remove the drive while the system remains in sleep mode, effectively bypassing the encryption protection mechanisms that should normally prevent data access. This represents a classic case of inadequate state management where the system fails to detect and respond appropriately to hardware changes during power-down states, creating a persistent security weakness that persists even when the device appears to be in a secure sleep state.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it enables what security researchers classify as a "Hot Plug attack" that can be executed by attackers who are physically present near the target device. This attack vector is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where laptops are frequently used in public spaces or shared work environments, as it requires minimal technical expertise to execute. The vulnerability affects devices that are commonly used in business and government settings, where sensitive data is often stored on encrypted drives that are expected to provide protection even when devices are powered off or in sleep mode. The attack can potentially allow unauthorized access to full disk encryption keys or data that should remain protected, creating significant risks for organizations that rely on SED technologies for data protection.
This vulnerability aligns with several cybersecurity frameworks and threat modeling approaches, including the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) category CWE-307 which addresses improper restriction of repeated operations, and relates to the MITRE ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques. The attack scenario demonstrates how physical security controls can be bypassed through software and firmware weaknesses, representing a convergence of hardware-level security flaws with traditional cybersecurity threats. Organizations should consider this vulnerability as part of their broader threat modeling efforts, particularly when evaluating the security of mobile computing environments where physical access to devices may be possible. The issue also highlights the importance of proper firmware updates and the need for comprehensive security testing of hardware and firmware interactions in enterprise environments. Mitigation strategies should include immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers, implementation of additional physical security controls, and enhanced monitoring of device connection states to detect potential unauthorized hardware removal attempts.