CVE-2014-4191
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 · uneditedThe TLS implementation in EMC RSA BSAFE-C Toolkits (aka Share for C and C++) sends a long series of random bytes during use of the Dual_EC_DRBG algorithm, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain plaintext from TLS sessions by recovering the algorithm's inner state, a different issue than CVE-2007-6755.
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 confidenceThe TLS implementation in RSA BSAFE-C Toolkits leaks the internal state of the Dual_EC_DRBG algorithm by sending predictable 'random' bytes during TLS handshakes. Attackers can recover these bytes to reconstruct the PRNG state and derive session encryption keys, enabling plaintext recovery from captured TLS traffic.
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 dataall 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/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 Dell Bsafe Share installationSearch for BSAFE-related libraries, binaries, or SDK components on the system. Check installed software listings or program directories for 'Dell Bsafe Share' or 'RSA BSAFE' components.Affected if Dell Bsafe Share is found installed on the system
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Locate BSAFE configuration filesSearch for configuration files associated with the RSA BSAFE toolkit, typically named bsafe.conf, crypto.config, or similar, often in installation directories or system config folders.Affected if BSAFE configuration files exist on the system
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Verify Dual_EC_DRBG is enabledOpen the BSAFE configuration file and search for settings related to Dual_EC_DRBG, EC_DRBG, or elliptic curve random number generation. Look for enable, use, or select directives for these algorithms.Affected if Dual_EC_DRBG is explicitly enabled or set as the default DRBG in the configuration
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Check TLS cipher suite configurationExamine TLS configuration to identify which cipher suites or random number generators are in use for TLS handshakes. Look for EC-based or Dual_EC-related cipher suites.Affected if TLS configuration specifies Dual_EC_DRBG or EC-based DRBG for session key generation
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Inspect TLS handshake trafficCapture TLS handshake traffic using a network sniffer or examine TLS session logs. Look for patterns in the client/server random fields that may indicate predictable or weak random number generation.Affected if TLS handshake random bytes appear non-random, repetitive, or predictable across multiple connections
A system is affected if Dell Bsafe Share is installed with Dual_EC_DRBG enabled and used for TLS session key generation.
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 dataDisable Dual_EC_DRBG in the RSA BSAFE toolkit configuration and switch to alternative DRBG algorithms (such as AES-CTR_DRBG or HMAC_DRBG) for cryptographic random number generation in TLS sessions.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-4191 — 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-2014-4191 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
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