Information disclosure in Medtronic products - CVE-2018-18984

Detailed vulnerability description

The vulnerability allows a physical attacker to obtain potentially sensitive information.

The vulnerability exists due to improper encryption the following sensitive information. A physical attacker can view encrypted data and gain access to potentially sensitive information.

How to mitigate CVE-2018-18984

The CareLink 9790 Programmer has been placed into end-of-life status and is no longer supported by Medtronic. Medtronic recommends users no longer use the 9790 for any purpose.

The CareLink 2090 and 29901 Encore programmers store PHI and PII as part of their normal operating procedure. Medtronic recommends that when devices are storing PHI/PII it should be retained on these programmers for the least amount of time necessary, and should be handled, managed and secured in a manner consistent with the applicable laws for patient data privacy. Please contact a Medtronic representative for proper disposal and PHI/PII retention setting instructions.

All affected programmers allow for the manual deletion of programmer-generated reports, which could contain PHI/PII. Medtronic recommends users delete these reports when no longer needed and prior to any disposition of the programmer.

Medtronic recommends users take additional defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation. Specifically, hospitals and clinicians should:

• Maintain strict physical control of the programmer.
• Use only legitimately obtained programmers and not ones provided by any third party.

Proper disposal of these programmers and the associated electronic media storing data is critical for the continued protection of any PHI and PII residing on the programmer.

Sources

• https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSMA-18-347-01