dbcve.org
Kindle TouchHardware / appliance · Amazon

CVE-2012-4249

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-08-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The Amazon Lab126 com.lab126.system sendEvent implementation on the Kindle Touch before 5.1.2 allows context-dependent attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in a string, as demonstrated by using lipc-set-prop to set an LIPC property, a different vulnerability than CVE-2012-4248.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The com.lab126.system sendEvent implementation on Kindle Touch devices before version 5.1.2 contains a command injection vulnerability. Attackers can execute arbitrary commands by embedding shell metacharacters in strings passed through the LIPC interface, specifically via lipc-set-prop to set LIPC properties.

MitigationUpdate Kindle Touch firmware to version 5.1.2 or later to patch the vulnerable sendEvent implementation; if patching is not possible, restrict or disable access to the LIPC interface to prevent unauthenticated command injection.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Kindle TouchHardware / appliance
Affected:= 5.1.0= 5.1.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm device is Amazon Kindle Touch
    Check the device model identifier in system settings or via command output (e.g., check /proc/device-tree/model or system properties)
    Affected if Device model does not match Kindle Touch (verify device is Amazon Kindle Touch)
  2. Check installed firmware version
    Navigate to Settings > Device Options > Device Info or use the system information command to retrieve the firmware version
    Affected if Firmware version is exactly 5.1.0 or exactly 5.1.1 (these are the only affected versions)
  3. Verify LIPC interface is accessible
    Test if the LIPC daemon is running by attempting to query a known LIPC property or checking for the lipc service (e.g., lipc-hash or lipc-get-prop commands)
    Affected if LIPC interface is available and responds to queries (the vulnerability requires LIPC to be accessible)
  4. Confirm lipc-set-prop command availability
    Verify the lipc-set-prop binary exists on the device by checking /usr/bin/lipc-set-prop or using which lipc-set-prop
    Affected if lipc-set-prop command is present on the device (this is the specific attack vector mentioned in the CVE)

The device is affected only if it is an Amazon Kindle Touch running firmware version 5.1.0 or 5.1.2, with the LIPC interface and lipc-set-prop command accessible.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update Kindle Touch firmware to version 5.1.2 or later to patch the vulnerable sendEvent implementation; if patching is not possible, restrict or disable access to the LIPC interface to prevent unauthenticated command injection.

Recommended fix High confidence

Kindle Touch firmware 5.1.2

  1. Ensure the Kindle Touch has sufficient battery or is connected to power before updating
  2. Connect the Kindle Touch to a Wi-Fi network
  3. Go to Settings on the Kindle Touch
  4. Navigate to Device Options, then select Device Updates
  5. Select 'Update Your Kindle' to check for and install available updates
  6. Confirm the firmware updates to version 5.1.2 or later
  7. Verify the installed firmware version in Settings > Device Options > Device Info to confirm 5.1.2 or later is running

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Kindle Touch Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-4249 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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