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E Alert FirmwareOperating system · Philips

CVE-2018-8856

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-09-26
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
Philips e-Alert Unit (non-medical device), Version R2.1 and prior. The software contains hard-coded cryptographic key, which it uses for encryption of internal data.

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 Philips e-Alert Unit firmware contains a hard-coded cryptographic key embedded in the software binary. This key is used to encrypt internal data stored on the device. Anyone with access to the firmware or device can extract this key, allowing them to decrypt sensitive data or impersonate the device.

MitigationReplace the hardcoded key with a properly managed key generation/derivation mechanism, such as keys generated at first boot using hardware security modules or secure key storage, and ensure existing encrypted data is re-encrypted with the new key through a firmware update.

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
E Alert FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= r2.1

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

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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 installed firmware version
    Access the Philips e-Alert Unit management interface or use the device's built-in version check command (typically available via web UI or CLI). Look for the firmware version string (e.g., r2.1, r2.0, etc.).
    Affected if The displayed firmware version is r2.1 or any version lower than r2.1 (e.g., r2.0, r1.x).
  2. Verify version against affected range
    Compare the identified firmware version number to the affected range: <= r2.1. Confirm whether your version falls at or below r2.1.
    Affected if The installed firmware version is r2.1 or earlier.
  3. Examine firmware binary for embedded keys
    If you have access to the firmware image file (obtained from device backup, update file, or manufacturer), use a hex editor or strings command to search for cryptographic key patterns (e.g., long hex strings, base64-encoded data that decodes to 128/256-bit keys). Look for hardcoded secrets that appear in plaintext within the binary.
    Affected if A hardcoded cryptographic key is found embedded in the firmware binary in plaintext or with minimal obfuscation.
  4. Check for default/static encryption material
    Review any configuration exports or data backups from the e-Alert Unit. Attempt to identify if encryption relies on a static key that does not change between devices or firmware versions. Document whether the same key material would decrypt data from another identical device.
    Affected if The same encryption key would work across multiple devices or persists unchanged after firmware updates.

Your environment is affected if the Philips e-Alert Unit runs firmware version r2.1 or earlier, or if analysis of the firmware image reveals a hardcoded cryptographic key.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Replace the hardcoded key with a properly managed key generation/derivation mechanism, such as keys generated at first boot using hardware security modules or secure key storage, and ensure existing encrypted data is re-encrypted with the new key through a firmware update.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Obtain the fixed firmware release from Philips (contact Philips security team for R2.2 or later version containing the remediation)

  1. 1. Identify all Philips e-Alert units in the environment running firmware version R2.1 or prior.
  2. 2. Contact Philips directly through their official security contact channels to obtain the patched firmware version.
  3. 3. Review Philips release notes and security advisories for the specific fixed firmware version that addresses CVE-2018-8856.
  4. 4. Download the patched firmware from Philips official support portal only.
  5. 5. Follow Philips documented firmware update procedure for e-Alert units, ensuring proper backup of configuration.
  6. 6. Verify the firmware update was successful and confirm the hard-coded credential vulnerability is addressed.
  7. 7. Change any credentials that may have been protected by the hard-coded cryptographic key.
Caveat Review Philips firmware release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes between R2.1 and the fixed version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in E Alert Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,600
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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-2018-8856 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