PolarsslApplication

CVE-2014-8627

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-11-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
PolarSSL 1.3.8 does not properly negotiate the signature algorithm to use, which allows remote attackers to conduct downgrade attacks via unspecified vectors.

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

PolarSSL 1.3.8 contains a flaw in its TLS implementation where it fails to properly negotiate the signature algorithm with connecting clients/servers. This allows remote attackers to conduct downgrade attacks by forcing the use of weaker signature algorithms during the TLS handshake, potentially enabling further cryptographic attacks.

MitigationUpgrade PolarSSL to a patched version (later releases addressed this issue). If immediate patching is not feasible, ensure TLS configurations explicitly restrict accepted signature algorithms to strong algorithms only.

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
PolarsslApplication
Affected:= 1.3.8

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
None
Integrity
Partial
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed PolarSSL version
    Query the library or application for its PolarSSL version string (common methods: library function call, binary metadata, package manager query, or application version output)
    Affected if The version is exactly 1.3.8
  2. Confirm TLS functionality is in use
    Inspect the application or service configuration to determine whether TLS/SSL connections are enabled and actively used (check configuration files, running services, or application logs)
    Affected if TLS is enabled and the application uses PolarSSL for TLS operations
  3. Verify signature algorithm negotiation
    Capture and inspect a TLS handshake (via network capture or debug logs) to observe which signature algorithms are proposed and negotiated between client and server
    Affected if The handshake shows that weaker signature algorithms are being accepted or that no explicit restriction on signature algorithms is configured

A system is affected if it runs PolarSSL version 1.3.8 and uses it for TLS connections where signature algorithm negotiation occurs without explicit restrictions.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade PolarSSL to a patched version (later releases addressed this issue). If immediate patching is not feasible, ensure TLS configurations explicitly restrict accepted signature algorithms to strong algorithms only.

Fix this in Polarssl 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
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2014-8627 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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