CVE-2020-15484 in Multipara Monitor M1000
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered on Nescomed Multipara Monitor M1000 devices. The internal storage of the underlying Linux system stores data in cleartext, without integrity protection against tampering.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-15484 affects Nescomed Multipara Monitor M1000 medical devices, presenting a critical security flaw in the underlying Linux operating system implementation. This device operates within healthcare environments where patient data confidentiality and system integrity are paramount, making the absence of proper data protection mechanisms particularly concerning. The issue manifests in the device's internal storage architecture where sensitive information is persisted without any form of encryption or integrity verification mechanisms, creating a fundamental weakness in the system's security posture.
The technical flaw resides in the storage subsystem of the embedded Linux system, where data is written to internal storage media in plain text format without any cryptographic protection or tamper detection capabilities. This design decision violates fundamental security principles for embedded systems and medical devices, as it allows unauthorized parties with physical access to the device to read, modify, or replace stored data without detection. The vulnerability represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and data integrity protection that should be inherent in any security-conscious system design. From a cybersecurity perspective, this constitutes a failure in both confidentiality and integrity protection mechanisms, creating potential pathways for data manipulation that could compromise patient safety and medical device functionality.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it creates opportunities for malicious actors to manipulate critical medical device operations. Attackers with physical access to the device could potentially modify stored patient information, alter system configurations, or inject malicious data that could lead to incorrect medical decisions or device malfunctions. The lack of integrity protection means that any modifications to stored data would remain undetected, potentially allowing attackers to maintain persistence within the medical environment while compromising the reliability of patient monitoring data. This vulnerability directly impacts the device's ability to maintain accurate patient records and could lead to serious consequences including misdiagnosis, incorrect treatment decisions, or complete system compromise that affects patient safety and healthcare delivery.
The security implications of CVE-2020-15484 align with CWE-311 and CWE-312 categories, representing deficiencies in data encryption and integrity protection mechanisms. This vulnerability also maps to several ATT&CK tactics including TA0006 (credential access) and TA0005 (defense evasion) when considering potential attack vectors involving physical access to medical devices. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including physical security controls, regular integrity monitoring, and potentially manual verification procedures for critical stored data. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of applying security by design principles to medical devices, particularly those handling sensitive patient information, and underscores the need for comprehensive security assessments of embedded systems in healthcare environments. Remediation efforts should focus on implementing proper encryption mechanisms and integrity verification protocols to protect stored data against unauthorized access and modification attempts.