CVE-2015-1878
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 · uneditedThales nShield Connect hardware models 500, 1500, 6000, 500+, 1500+, and 6000+ before 11.72 allows physically proximate attackers to sign arbitrary data with previously loaded signing keys, extract the device identification key [KNETI] and impersonate the nShield Connect device on a network, affect the integrity and confidentiality of newly created keys, and potentially cause other unspecified impacts using previously loaded keys by connecting to the USB port on the front panel.
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 confidenceThis is a physical attack vulnerability in Thales nShield Connect HSMs where an attacker with physical access to the front panel USB port can extract the device identification key (KNETI) and misuse previously loaded signing keys to sign arbitrary data, impersonate the device on the network, and compromise the integrity and confidentiality of newly created keys.
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<= 11.30CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:P/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Thales nShield Connect HSM in your environmentLocate and verify that you have a Thales nShield Connect hardware security module device in your infrastructureAffected if The device is a Thales nShield Connect HSM and is in use
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Check the installed firmware versionAccess the nShield Connect front panel or use the nShield management tools to retrieve the current firmware version, then compare it to the affected range (<=11.30)Affected if The firmware version is 11.30 or earlier
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Assess physical access controls to the deviceInspect the physical location of the nShield Connect unit and determine whether the front panel USB port is accessible to unauthorized personnelAffected if The front panel USB port is accessible to individuals who are not authorized to have physical access to the device
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Determine if signing keys have been loadedReview your HSM key management records to identify whether any signing keys (particularly KNETI keys or other authentication keys) have been previously loaded onto the deviceAffected if Signing keys have been loaded onto the device and remain accessible
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Evaluate network exposureAssess whether the nShield Connect device is connected to a network where an impersonating device could interact with your systemsAffected if The device is network-connected and could be impersonated by a compromised unit
You are affected if you have a Thales nShield Connect HSM running firmware version 11.30 or earlier with an accessible front panel USB port and previously loaded signing keys.
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 nShield Connect firmware to version 11.72 or later. Additionally, implement physical security controls to restrict unauthorized access to the device front panel USB port.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2015-1878 — 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-2015-1878 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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