CVE-2018-14779
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 · uneditedA buffer overflow issue was discovered in the Yubico-Piv 1.5.0 smartcard driver. The file lib/ykpiv.c contains the following code in the function `ykpiv_transfer_data()`: {% highlight c %} if(*out_len + recv_len - 2 > max_out) { fprintf(stderr, "Output buffer to small, wanted to write %lu, max was %lu.", *out_len + recv_len - 2, max_out); } if(out_data) { memcpy(out_data, data, recv_len - 2); out_data += recv_len - 2; *out_len += recv_len - 2; } {% endhighlight %} -- it is clearly checked whether the buffer is big enough to hold the data copied using `memcpy()`, but no error handling happens to avoid the `memcpy()` in such cases. This code path can be triggered with malicious data coming from a smartcard.
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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Yubico-Piv 1.5.0 smartcard driver where the function ykpiv_transfer_data() checks if the output buffer is large enough but lacks error handling to prevent the subsequent memcpy() from executing when the buffer is too small. The fprintf() outputs an error message but does not return an error or prevent the unsafe memory copy, allowing a malicious smartcard to trigger a buffer overflow.
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< 1.4.2= 1.4.2= 1.4.2b= 1.4.2c= 1.4.2d= 1.4.2e= 1.4.2f= 1.4.2g< 1.6.0<= 3.7.3.160CVSS 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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Check Yubico Piv Manager versionOn Windows, check 'Programs and Features' or the application version info. On Linux, check the installed package version via package manager (dpkg -l or rpm -q). On macOS, check via 'Get Info' on the application bundle.Affected if Version is less than 1.4.2, or equals 1.4.2, 1.4.2b, 1.4.2c, 1.4.2d, 1.4.2e, 1.4.2f, or 1.4.2g
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Check Yubico Piv Tool versionRun 'piv-tool --version' or check the installed library version via package manager. On Windows, check the version of ykpiv.dll or piv-tool.exe if installed.Affected if Version is less than 1.6.0 (including 1.5.0 which contains the vulnerable ykpiv_transfer_data function)
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Check Yubico Smart Card Minidriver versionOn Windows, open Device Manager, expand 'Smart card readers', right-click the Yubico device and check driver version. Alternatively, check the file version of scardminidriver.dll in the Windows system drivers folder.Affected if Version is 3.7.3.160 or earlier
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Verify if Yubico piv-tool library is in useCheck for presence of ykpiv.dll (Windows) or libykpiv.so (Linux) in system paths, or check if any Yubico PIV application is using the Yubico smartcard stack.Affected if The Yubico piv-tool library version cannot be determined or is confirmed as the vulnerable version
A user is affected if Yubico Piv Manager (versions listed), Yubico Piv Tool (below 1.6.0), or Yubico Smart Card Minidriver (3.7.3.160 or earlier) is installed, and the system communicates with a smartcard using the vulnerable ykpiv_transfer_data function.
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 data1.4.21.6.0
Add proper error handling (return error code or early exit) after the buffer size check in ykpiv_transfer_data() to prevent the memcpy() from executing when the output buffer is insufficient, or upgrade to a patched version if available.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-14779 — 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-2018-14779 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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