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U BootApplication · Denx

CVE-2019-14201

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 a stack-based buffer overflow in this nfs_handler reply helper function: nfs_lookup_reply.

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 · moderate confidence

A stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the nfs_lookup_reply function within Das U-Boot's NFS handler. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending specially crafted NFS responses that overflow a stack-based buffer in the lookup reply processing.

MitigationUpdate U-Boot to a version beyond 2019.07 that contains the patched nfs_lookup_reply function, or disable NFS 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. Confirm U-Boot is the system bootloader
    Inspect the bootloader configuration or boot logs to verify U-Boot is in use. On embedded devices, this is typically displayed during the boot process or can be found in device documentation or firmware dumps.
    Affected if U-Boot is not the bootloader in use (not affected)
  2. Determine the installed U-Boot version
    Check the U-Boot version string, typically visible in boot logs or stored in the bootloader binary metadata. The version is usually displayed early in the boot output (e.g., 'U-Boot 2019.07' or similar).
    Affected if Unable to determine version (further investigation required)
  3. Check if NFS client support is enabled
    Examine the U-Boot configuration file (such as .config, defconfig, or board-specific config) for NFS-related options. Look for configuration symbols like CONFIG_NFS or CONFIG_CMD_NFS that enable NFS client functionality.
    Affected if NFS support is not enabled in the configuration (not affected, since the vulnerable code path is not active)
  4. Compare version against affected range
    If NFS is enabled, compare the identified U-Boot version to the affected range: any version <= 2019.07 is vulnerable. Versions newer than 2019.07 include the fix.
    Affected if Version is 2019.07 or earlier AND NFS is enabled (affected)

The environment is affected if U-Boot serves as the bootloader with NFS client support enabled, and the U-Boot version is 2019.07 or earlier.

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 U-Boot to a version beyond 2019.07 that contains the patched nfs_lookup_reply function, or disable NFS support in the bootloader configuration if not required for the deployment.

Recommended fix High confidence

U-Boot 2019.10 or later (any stable release after 2019.07 that includes the fix)

  1. Identify all embedded devices or systems running U-Boot version 2019.07 or earlier that use NFS client functionality
  2. Upgrade U-Boot to version 2019.10 or later, which contains the security fix for the nfs_lookup_reply stack-based buffer overflow (CVE-2019-14201)
  3. After upgrading, verify that NFS client functionality works correctly in the updated U-Boot
  4. If immediate upgrade is not possible, disable NFS client support in U-Boot configuration (CONFIG_NFS) to mitigate the vulnerability
  5. Regenerate and redeploy the U-Boot binary image to all affected devices

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 / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

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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-2019-14201 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