CVE-2019-10964 in MinMed 508
Summary
by MITRE
In Medtronic MinMed 508 and Medtronic Minimed Paradigm Insulin Pumps, Versions, MiniMed 508 pump ? All versions, MiniMed Paradigm 511 pump ? All versions, MiniMed Paradigm 512/712 pumps ? All versions, MiniMed Paradigm 712E pump?All versions, MiniMed Paradigm 515/715 pumps?All versions, MiniMed Paradigm 522/722 pumps ? All versions,MiniMed Paradigm 522K/722K pumps ? All versions, MiniMed Paradigm 523/723 pumps ? Software versions 2.4A or lower, MiniMed Paradigm 523K/723K pumps ? Software, versions 2.4A or lower, MiniMed Paradigm Veo 554/754 pumps ? Software versions 2.6A or lower, MiniMed Paradigm Veo 554CM and 754CM models only ? Software versions 2.7A or lower, the affected insulin pumps are designed to communicate using a wireless RF with other devices, such as blood glucose meters, glucose sensor transmitters, and CareLink USB devices. This wireless RF communication protocol does not properly implement authentication or authorization. An attacker with adjacent access to one of the affected insulin pump models can inject, replay, modify, and/or intercept data. This vulnerability could also allow attackers to change pump settings and control insulin delivery.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/22/2025
The CVE-2019-10964 vulnerability affects a critical class of medical devices including various Medtronic insulin pumps that are widely used for diabetes management. These devices operate in the healthcare sector where patient safety is paramount, making this vulnerability particularly concerning from a cybersecurity perspective. The affected pumps include multiple models from the MiniMed 508, Paradigm 511, 512/712, 515/715, 522/722, 522K/722K, 523/723, 523K/723K, Veo 554/754, and 554CM/754CM series. These devices communicate wirelessly via radio frequency protocols to interact with blood glucose meters, glucose sensor transmitters, and CareLink USB devices, creating multiple potential attack vectors for malicious actors.
The technical flaw stems from improper implementation of authentication and authorization mechanisms within the wireless radio frequency communication protocol. This represents a fundamental security weakness that allows attackers with adjacent physical access to manipulate the device's communication channels. The vulnerability enables several dangerous attack vectors including data injection, replay attacks, data modification, and interception of communication between the pump and associated devices. From a cybersecurity standpoint, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-312 (Sensitive Data Exposure) and CWE-306 (Missing Authentication) categories, as the wireless communication lacks proper cryptographic authentication and authorization controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond typical cybersecurity concerns due to the medical device context. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can not only intercept sensitive patient data but also modify pump settings and directly control insulin delivery. This represents a severe risk to patient safety, potentially leading to life-threatening situations including insulin overdose or underdose. The attack requires only adjacent physical access, making it particularly dangerous as it can be executed in close proximity to patients, such as in hospitals, clinics, or at home environments where family members or caregivers might be present. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1210 (Exploitation of Remote Services) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) when considering the potential for lateral movement and device control.
Mitigation strategies must address both immediate operational concerns and long-term security improvements. Healthcare organizations should implement strict physical security measures to prevent unauthorized access to insulin pumps, including secure storage protocols and access controls for medical devices. Device firmware updates should be prioritized where available, though many of these legacy devices may no longer receive security patches. Network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect anomalous communication patterns between pumps and associated devices. Additionally, healthcare providers should establish protocols for regular security assessments of medical devices, including vulnerability scanning and penetration testing specifically targeting wireless communication interfaces. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of securing medical devices in healthcare environments and aligns with regulatory requirements under HIPAA and FDA medical device cybersecurity guidelines, emphasizing that patient safety cannot be compromised by inadequate security controls in life-critical medical equipment.