CVE-2019-13916 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A vulnerability has been identified in Cypress (formerly Broadcom) WICED Studio 6.2 CYW20735B1 and CYW20819A1 related to Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) packet handling.

Understanding CVE-2019-13916

This CVE involves a buffer overflow vulnerability in the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) packet processing of Cypress WICED Studio.

What is CVE-2019-13916?

The vulnerability allows an attacker to corrupt a pointer in the linked list managing free buffers, potentially leading to a write-what-where scenario.

The Impact of CVE-2019-13916

Exploiting this vulnerability could grant an attacker full control over a pointer, enabling them to manipulate packet data and allocate overwritten addresses as receive buffers.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-13916

This section provides more in-depth technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

BLE packet copied into an insufficient buffer, leading to buffer overflow
Corrupting a pointer in the linked list managing free buffers
Attacker gaining control over the pointer through packet data manipulation

Affected Systems and Versions

Cypress WICED Studio 6.2 CYW20735B1 and CYW20819A1

Exploitation Mechanism

Overflowing the buffer with specific packet data and CRC checksum
Manipulating packet data to control the pointer

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2019-13916 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the patches provided in BT SDK2.4 and BT SDK2.45
Monitor network traffic for any suspicious activities
Implement network segmentation to limit the attack surface

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update firmware and software to patch vulnerabilities
Conduct security audits and penetration testing to identify weaknesses

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security updates from Cypress (Broadcom)
Apply patches promptly to mitigate the risk of exploitation