CVE-2012-4898
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 · uneditedMesh OS before 7.9.1.1 on Tropos wireless mesh routers does not use a sufficient source of entropy for SSH keys, which makes it easier for man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof a device or modify a client-server data stream by leveraging knowledge of a key from a product installation elsewhere.
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 confidenceTropos wireless mesh routers running Mesh OS before version 7.9.1.1 generate SSH keys using insufficient entropy, making the keys predictable. Attackers who obtain a key from one device installation can leverage knowledge of that key to predict keys on other installations, enabling man-in-the-middle attacks to spoof devices or modify data streams.
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<= 7.9.1all versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- High
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:C/I:P/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the device modelCheck the router model label or login to the admin interface to confirm it is a Tropos mesh router (models 1310, 1410, 3310, 3320, 4310, or 6310)Affected if The device is any of the listed Tropos models
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Check the Mesh OS versionLogin to the Tropos administrative interface or check the system information page. Look for the Mesh OS version numberAffected if Mesh OS version is 7.9.1 or earlier, or if the version cannot be determined but the device is a listed model (all versions of specific models are affected)
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Verify SSH is enabledCheck the router configuration for SSH service settings. Confirm SSH access is enabled on the deviceAffected if SSH is enabled and the device is running an affected version (Mesh OS <= 7.9.1 or any version for the specific model lines)
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Inspect SSH host keysAccess the router via console or examine the SSH host key files on the device (typically in /etc/ssh/ or via the web interface key display)Affected if The device uses SSH and has not been upgraded to Mesh OS 7.9.1.1 or later - the keys were generated with weak entropy
If the device is a Tropos mesh router (any of the listed models) running Mesh OS version 7.9.1 or earlier with SSH enabled, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade Mesh OS on affected Tropos wireless mesh routers to version 7.9.1.1 or later, which implements proper entropy sourcing for SSH key generation.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-4898 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-4898 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data