CVE-2016-5085
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 · uneditedJohnson & Johnson Animas OneTouch Ping devices do not properly generate random numbers, which makes it easier for remote attackers to spoof meters by sniffing the network and then engaging in an authentication handshake.
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 confidenceThe Animas OneTouch Ping insulin pump system uses weak random number generation in its authentication handshake between meters and pumps. Attackers can sniff network traffic to predict the predictable random values used during authentication, allowing them to spoof meters and potentially inject unauthorized commands to the insulin pump.
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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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.
-
Identify if you have an Animas OneTouch Ping insulin pumpLocate the insulin pump device and check the product name/model on the device casing or packaging. The device should be labeled 'Animas OneTouch Ping' or 'OneTouch Ping'. If you manage medical devices for an organization, check your device inventory records for this specific model.Affected if The device is an Animas OneTouch Ping insulin pump system - all firmware versions are affected by this vulnerability.
-
Confirm the device uses wireless meter communicationCheck whether the OneTouch Ping pump is actively used with a compatible wireless meter (the remote control functionality). This vulnerability affects the RF communication between the meter and pump during the authentication handshake.Affected if The pump is paired with and communicates wirelessly with a OneTouch Ping meter - this is the attack surface for the weak random number generation flaw.
-
Verify firmware version if accessibleAttempt to access the pump's firmware version through the meter's display menu (typically under Settings > Device Info or similar) or through the pump's built-in menus. Document the firmware version shown.Affected if Any firmware version is displayed - according to the vendor, all versions of Animas OneTouch Ping firmware are affected by this vulnerability.
-
Check network exposure of the device communicationDetermine whether the meter-pump communication occurs over unencrypted or minimally protected RF frequencies that could be sniffed by nearby attackers. Note if the device is used in environments where unauthorized physical proximity is possible.Affected if The device is in an environment where the RF communication between meter and pump could be intercepted - the vulnerability allows attackers to predict random values by sniffing network traffic.
You are affected if you have an Animas OneTouch Ping insulin pump system in use, regardless of firmware version, as all versions contain the weak random number generation flaw in the meter-pump authentication handshake.
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 dataThis vulnerability requires a firmware update from Johnson & Johnson that implements cryptographically secure random number generation. Until the vendor releases a patch, network segmentation should be implemented to isolate medical devices, though this may not fully mitigate the underlying authentication weakness.
- Consultation12.0 h
- Implementation24.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $16,896.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-5085 — 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-2016-5085 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data