CVE-2019-14356 Information disclosure in n/a
A power side-channel in Coldcard devices allows attackers with USB access to recover displayed secrets like PINs and mnemonics.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2019-14356?
CVE-2019-14356 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 31 Oct 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
On Coldcard MK1 and MK2 devices, a side channel for the row-based OLED display was found. The power consumption of each row-based display cycle depends on the number of illuminated pixels, allowing a partial recovery of display contents. For example, a hardware implant in the USB cable might be able to leverage this behavior to recover confidential secrets such as the PIN and BIP39 mnemonic. In other words, the side channel is relevant only if the attacker has enough control over the device's USB connection to make power-consumption measurements at a time when secret data is displayed. The side channel is not relevant in other circumstances, such as a stolen device that is not currently displaying secret data. On Coldcard MK1 and MK2 devices, a side channel for the row-based OLED display was found. The power consumption of each row-based display cycle depends on the number of illuminated pixels, allowing a partial recovery of display contents. For example, a hardware implant in the USB cable might be able to leverage this behavior to recover confidential secrets such as the PIN and BIP39 mnemonic. In other words, the side channel is relevant only if the attacker has enough control over the device's USB connection to make power-consumption measurements at a time when secret data is displayed. The side channel is not relevant in other circumstances, such as a stolen device that is not currently displaying secret data. NOTE: At Coinkite, we’ve already mitigated it, even though we feel strongly that it is not a legitimate issue. In our opinion, it is both unproven (might not even work) and also completely impractical—even if it could be made to work perfectly
Weakness: CWE-203
Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-14356?
It affects 2 products.
Products include Coinkite Coldcard Mk1 Firmware, Coinkite Coldcard Mk2 Firmware.
How do I fix CVE-2019-14356?
No fix has been published for CVE-2019-14356 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2019-14356 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-14356 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-w935-5mj5-xq67.