WolfsslApplication

CVE-2014-2896

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-01-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.9.4 or later.
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 DoAlert function in the (1) TLS and (2) DTLS implementations in wolfSSL CyaSSL before 2.9.4 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact and vectors, which trigger memory corruption or an out-of-bounds read.

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 · moderate confidence

A memory corruption or out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in the DoAlert function within the TLS and DTLS implementations of wolfSSL (formerly CyaSSL) versions prior to 2.9.4. This flaw can be exploited remotely, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade wolfSSL/CyaSSL to version 2.9.4 or later to patch the vulnerable DoAlert function in both TLS and DTLS stacks.

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
WolfsslApplication
Affected:>= 2.5.0, < 2.9.4

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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. Determine installed wolfSSL version
    Run 'wolfssl version' or 'cyassl --version' from command line; alternatively, check pkg-config output with 'pkg-config --modversion wolfssl' or inspect the shared library with 'strings libwolfssl.so | grep -i version'
    Affected if Version is 2.5.0, 2.5.1, 2.5.2, 2.5.3, 2.6.0, 2.6.1, 2.6.2, 2.6.3, 2.6.4, 2.7.0, 2.7.1, 2.7.2, 2.8.0, 2.8.1, 2.8.2, 2.8.3, 2.8.4, 2.8.5, 2.8.6, 2.8.7, 2.8.8, 2.8.9, 2.9.0, 2.9.1, 2.9.2, or 2.9.3 (any version >=2.5.0 but <2.9.4)
  2. Confirm TLS or DTLS is enabled in the build
    Check for HAVE_TLS or HAVE_DTLS preprocessor macros in the build configuration; run 'grep -r HAVE_TLS /usr/include/wolfssl/' or inspect the wolfssl options.h header file for #define HAVE_TLS or #define HAVE_DTLS
    Affected if TLS support (HAVE_TLS) or DTLS support (HAVE_DTLS) is defined in the compiled library
  3. Verify the application uses TLS or DTLS connections
    Review application logs, configuration, or source code to confirm the application establishes TLS or DTLS connections using the wolfSSL library; the DoAlert vulnerability only triggers when these protocols are actively used
    Affected if The application or service using wolfSSL accepts or makes TLS or DTLS connections

You are affected if your wolfSSL version is 2.5.0 through 2.9.3 AND the library was compiled with TLS or DTLS support AND those protocols are actually in use.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.9.4 or later
Fixed in 2.9.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade wolfSSL/CyaSSL to version 2.9.4 or later to patch the vulnerable DoAlert function in both TLS and DTLS stacks.

Recommended fix High confidence

wolfSSL 2.9.4 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current version of wolfSSL being used in your project (check your dependencies, package manager, or compile-time version defines)
  2. 2. If the installed version is >= 2.5.0 and < 2.9.4, upgrade to wolfSSL version 2.9.4 or later
  3. 3. Rebuild and redeploy the application with the updated wolfSSL library
  4. 4. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the new wolfSSL version at runtime

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

Fix this in Wolfssl Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-2896 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-2896 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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