CVE-2017-14454
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 · uneditedMultiple exploitable buffer overflow vulnerabilities exists in the PubNub message handler for the "control" channel of Insteon Hub running firmware version 1012. Specially crafted replies received from the PubNub service can cause buffer overflows on a global section overwriting arbitrary data. An attacker should impersonate PubNub and answer an HTTPS GET request to trigger this vulnerability. The `strcpy` at [18] overflows the buffer `insteon_pubnub.channel_al`, which has a size of 16 bytes.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in Insteon Hub firmware 1012 where an unsafe strcpy() call at line 18 overflows a 16-byte buffer (channel_al) in the PubNub message handler for the control channel. An attacker impersonating PubNub can send a specially crafted HTTPS GET response to overwrite global section data.
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= 1012CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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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Check Insteon Hub firmware versionAccess the Insteon Hub administrative interface or check the device documentation for the method to view the current firmware version. This is typically found in the device settings or status page.Affected if The installed firmware version is exactly 1012
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Verify PubNub control channel is in useExamine the Insteon Hub configuration to determine if PubNub messaging is enabled for the control channel functionality. Look for PubNub-related settings in the device web interface or API.Affected if PubNub integration for the control channel is enabled and the firmware is version 1012
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Inspect network traffic for PubNub communicationMonitor network traffic from the Insteon Hub to identify connections to PubNub servers (typically pubnub.push.api or related domains). Use packet capture or network monitoring tools to observe HTTPS GET requests to PubNub.Affected if The device is making outbound HTTPS connections to PubNub and is running firmware 1012
The environment is affected if the Insteon Hub is running firmware version 1012 and has PubNub control channel functionality enabled.
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 Insteon Hub firmware to patched version; until then, ensure network isolation and monitor for unauthorized PubNub impersonation attempts.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation40.0 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 $18,944.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-14454 — 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-2017-14454 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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