CVE-2018-10596 HIGH

CVE-2018-10596: Medtronic 2090 Carelink Programmer Improper Restriction of Communication Channel to Intended Endpoints

Vendor Medtronic
Product 2090 CareLink Programmer
Weakness CWE-923
Published July 2, 2018
Last update May 22, 2025

CVSS base score

7.1/10
Attack vector Network
Attack complexity High
Privileges required Low
User interaction Required
Confidentiality High
Integrity High

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

What the vulnerability does

01Description

Medtronic 2090 CareLink Programmer uses a virtual private network connection to securely download updates. It does not verify it is still connected to this virtual private network before downloading updates. The affected products initially establish an encapsulated IP-based VPN connection to a Medtronic-hosted update network. Once the VPN is established, it makes a request to a HTTP (non-TLS) server across the VPN for updates, which responds and provides any available updates. The programmer-side (client) service responsible for this HTTP request does not check to ensure it is still connected to the VPN before making the HTTP request. Thus, an attacker could cause the VPN connection to terminate (through various methods and attack points) and intercept the HTTP request, responding with malicious updates via a man-in-the-middle attack. The affected products do not verify the origin or integrity of these updates, as it insufficiently relied on the security of the VPN. An attacker with remote network access to the programmer could influence these communications.

Key dates

02Disclosure timeline

July 2, 2018 CVE published
May 22, 2025 Record updated