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U BootApplication · Denx

CVE-2019-14198

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-07-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2019.07 or later.
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
An issue was discovered in Das U-Boot through 2019.07. There is an unbounded memcpy with a failed length check at nfs_read_reply when calling store_block in the NFSv3 case.

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

Das U-Boot through 2019.07 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in the NFSv3 client implementation. The nfs_read_reply function fails to properly validate length before calling store_block, leading to an unbounded memcpy that can overwrite adjacent memory.

MitigationUpdate Das U-Boot to a version that includes the fix for this vulnerability. If immediate updating is not feasible, disable NFSv3 client support in the bootloader configuration if not required for the deployment.

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
U BootApplication
Affected:<= 2019.07

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 U-Boot version
    Check the U-Boot banner during boot, or examine the U-Boot binary with 'strings' or a hex editor for version strings like 'U-Boot 20xx' or check the version.h/source files if you have access to the build environment
    Affected if The version is 2019.07 or earlier (any version up to and including 2019.07)
  2. Verify NFSv3 client support is enabled
    If you have the U-Boot configuration file (.config) or the compiled binary, search for NFS-related configuration options such as CONFIG_CMD_NFS or CONFIG_NFSV3. In the running U-Boot, you can also try the 'nfs' command - if it exists, NFS support is likely enabled
    Affected if NFS client support (CONFIG_CMD_NFS or similar NFS configuration) is present in the U-Boot build
  3. Confirm NFSv3 client code is present
    Examine the U-Boot source code or binary for the nfs_read_reply function. In the source, this function is typically in net/nfs.c. In a binary, search for the string 'nfs_read_reply'
    Affected if The nfs_read_reply function exists in the compiled U-Boot binary (indicating NFS client code is included)
  4. Check for NFS mount attempts in boot configuration
    Review boot scripts (boot.scr, boot.cmd), environment variables (printenv bootcmd), or boot configuration files to see if NFS mounts are used. Look for 'nfs' commands or 'nfsroot' parameters in the boot configuration
    Affected if The device uses NFSv3 booting or has NFS mount commands configured in the bootloader

You are affected if your U-Boot version is 2019.07 or earlier AND the NFSv3 client is enabled and present in your build, regardless of whether it is actively used for booting.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2019.07
Interim mitigation

Update Das U-Boot to a version that includes the fix for this vulnerability. If immediate updating is not feasible, disable NFSv3 client support in the bootloader configuration if not required for the deployment.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

U-Boot 2019.10 or later stable release

  1. 1. Identify all embedded devices or systems running U-Boot version 2019.07 or earlier that use NFS client functionality
  2. 2. Back up current U-Boot configuration and bootloader image before making changes
  3. 3. Download U-Boot version 2019.10 or later (e.g., latest stable release from https://ftp.denx.de/pub/u-boot/)
  4. 4. Compile the new U-Boot version for your specific hardware platform using the standard build process (make CROSS_COMPILE=<toolchain> <board_defconfig>
  5. 5. Flash the compiled U-Boot image to the device's boot media following your hardware manufacturer's recommended procedure
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade by checking the U-Boot version at boot time and confirming NFS client functionality works correctly
Caveat Minor: Ensure board-specific configuration is compatible; some legacy NFS mount options may have been deprecated in newer versions

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

Fix this in U Boot Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

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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-2019-14198 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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