CVE-2014-5419
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 · uneditedGE Multilink ML800, ML1200, ML1600, and ML2400 switches with firmware 4.2.1 and earlier and Multilink ML810, ML3000, and ML3100 switches with firmware 5.2.0 and earlier use the same RSA private key across different customers' installations, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain the cleartext content of network traffic by reading this key from a firmware image and then sniffing the network.
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 confidenceGE Multilink switches use a hardcoded RSA private key embedded in firmware that is identical across all customer installations. An attacker can extract this key from firmware images and use it to decrypt network traffic captured from any affected device, compromising confidentiality of encrypted communications.
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<= 5.2.0all versions<= 5.2.0all versions<= 5.2.0all versions<= 4.2.1all 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 the GE Multilink switch modelAccess the device management interface or check network inventory to determine the exact model (ML3100, ML3000, ML810, or ML1600)Affected if The device model is ML3100, ML3000, ML810, or ML1600
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Determine the installed firmware versionLog into the device CLI or web interface and run 'show version' or check the firmware version in the device status pageAffected if Firmware version is unknown, unavailable to check, or the device shows as any version of ML3100/ML3000/ML810 (all versions) or ML1600 (all versions)
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Compare firmware version to affected rangesCompare the installed firmware version against the known affected ranges: ML3100 and ML3000 and ML810 <= 5.2.0, ML1600 <= 4.2.1Affected if The installed firmware version is 5.2.0 or lower for ML3100/ML3000/ML810, or 4.2.1 or lower for ML1600, OR the model is listed as 'all versions' with no firmware version info retrievable
If the device is a GE Multilink ML3100, ML3000, ML810, or ML1600 running firmware at or below the affected version limits (or if the model has no firmware version constraint listed), the hardcoded RSA key flaw is present in the environment.
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 dataUpdate firmware to versions newer than 4.2.1 (ML800/ML1200/ML1600/ML2400) or 5.2.0 (ML810/ML3000/ML3100) to obtain unique per-device keys. If updates unavailable, implement network segmentation and monitor for traffic interception.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-5419 — 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-2014-5419 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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