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Accent FirmwareOperating system · Abbott

CVE-2017-12712

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-04-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
93/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
The authentication algorithm in Abbott Laboratories pacemakers manufactured prior to Aug 28, 2017, which involves an authentication key and time stamp, can be compromised or bypassed, which may allow a nearby attacker to issue unauthorized commands to the pacemaker via RF communications. CVSS v3 base score: 7.5, CVSS vector string: AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Abbott has developed a firmware update to help mitigate the identified vulnerabilities.

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 confidence

The authentication algorithm in Abbott Laboratories pacemakers manufactured before Aug 28, 2017 uses a flawed key and timestamp mechanism that can be compromised or bypassed. A nearby attacker within RF communication range can exploit this vulnerability to issue unauthorized commands to the pacemaker without authentication. This represents a critical failure in the device's security boundary, allowing potential manipulation of life-sustaining cardiac device functions.

MitigationApply the firmware update released by Abbott Laboratories for affected pacemaker models. Medical device firmware updates require coordination with the device manufacturer and must be performed by qualified medical personnel following established clinical procedures to ensure patient safety.

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
Accent FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< f0b.0e.7e
Anthem FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< f0b.0e.7e
Accent Mri FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< f10.08.6c
Accent St FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< f10.08.6c
Assurity FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< f14.07.80
Allure FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< f14.07.80
Assurity Mri FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< f17.01.49

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
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:A/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 checks

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

  1. Identify pacemaker model
    Locate the device model through clinical records, device programmer, or device inventory. This can be done by reviewing patient charts, pacemaker clinic records, or using the device programmer to query the implanted device.
    Affected if The device is one of: Abbott Accent, Abbott Anthem, Abbott Accent Mri, Abbott Accent St, Abbott Assurity, Abbott Allure, or Abbott Assurity Mri.
  2. Retrieve installed firmware version
    Use the Abbott device programmer or programmer software to query the implanted pacemaker for its current firmware version. Access the device information screen which displays the firmware build number.
    Affected if Unable to retrieve the firmware version from the device.
  3. Compare firmware version to affected ranges
    Compare the retrieved firmware version string against the affected version thresholds: for Accent/Anthem compare to f0b.0e.7e; for Accent Mri/Accent St compare to f10.08.6c; for Assurity/Allure compare to f14.07.80; for Assurity Mri compare to f17.01.49.
    Affected if The installed firmware version is lower than the respective threshold for that model.
  4. Check RF communication configuration
    If accessible through the device programmer, verify whether RF remote communication is enabled on the device. Review the device settings for wireless telemetry features.
    Affected if RF communication is enabled and the firmware version is below the fixed version.
  5. Verify authentication bypass condition
    This requires specialized medical device security assessment tools or coordination with Abbott to test whether the device accepts commands without proper authentication. This step should only be performed by qualified personnel in a controlled clinical setting.
    Affected if The device accepts and processes commands without valid authentication credentials.

A user is affected if they have an Abbott pacemaker from the listed models with firmware version below the respective threshold and RF communication is enabled.

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

Apply the firmware update released by Abbott Laboratories for affected pacemaker models. Medical device firmware updates require coordination with the device manufacturer and must be performed by qualified medical personnel following established clinical procedures to ensure patient safety.

Fix this in Accent Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2017-12712 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data