CVE-2014-5419CWE-321

GE Multilink Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key

Critical · published January 17, 2015

CVSS v2.0
10.0
EPSS
2%
Percentile
84.0
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

🚨 Sharing is caring, unless you’re talking about RSA keys! A major vulnerability in GE Multilink switches allows attackers to access your network traffic by exploiting a common private key! 🔥 Think of it like a restaurant that uses the same secret recipe for every branch. If someone figures out that recipe, they can produce identical dishes at any location, compromising your brand’s unique taste—and your customers’ trust! When attackers get their hands on this RSA private key, they can decrypt sensitive network traffic, opening the door to potential data breaches. This means exposed passwords, confidential documents, and any unencrypted information flowing over the network could fall into the wrong hands. The entire network’s security can be utterly compromised!

Put simply

Think of it like a restaurant that uses the same secret recipe for every branch. If someone figures out that recipe, they can produce identical dishes at any location, compromising your brand’s unique taste—and your customers’ trust! CVE-2014-5419 exists because GE Multilink switches with firmware versions 4.2.1 and earlier (and 5.2.0 for some models) share the same RSA private key across multiple installations. This allows attackers to extract the private key from firmware images, making network traffic interception alarmingly simple.

What to do

When attackers get their hands on this RSA private key, they can decrypt sensitive network traffic, opening the door to potential data breaches. This means exposed passwords, confidential documents, and any unencrypted information flowing over the network could fall into the wrong hands. The entire network’s security can be utterly compromised! Immediately upgrade your GE Multilink switches to the latest firmware versions to eliminate this vulnerability. Ensure that all configurations are checked for proper key management practices. Review your network’s encryption protocols to strengthen security against future attacks. You've got this! Follow these steps, and you'll boost your network security like a pro! 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v2.0
10.0 · CRITICAL
Vector
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.02420 · 84.0th percentile
Weakness
CWE-321 · Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key
Published
2015-01-17T02:00Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 17 JAN 02:00Z
    GE Multilink Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key
    cvelistv5