KaiosOperating system · Kaiostech

CVE-2019-14758

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 KaiOS 2.5 and 2.5.1. The pre-installed File Manager application is vulnerable to HTML and JavaScript injection attacks. An attacker can send a file via email to the victim that will inject HTML into the File Manager application (assuming the victim chooses to download the email attachment). At a bare minimum, this allows an attacker to take control over the File Manager application's UI (e.g., display a malicious prompt to the user asking them to re-enter credentials such as their KaiOS credentials to continue using the application) and also allows an attacker to abuse any of the privileges available to the mobile application.

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 pre-installed File Manager application in KaiOS 2.5 and 2.5.1 fails to properly sanitize file content when processing downloaded email attachments. This allows HTML and JavaScript injection (XSS) into the application's context, enabling an attacker to manipulate the File Manager UI and execute code with the app's privileges.

MitigationKaiOS should release a security update that implements proper input sanitization and Content Security Policy in the File Manager application, and users should apply system updates promptly.

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
KaiosOperating system
Affected:= 2.5= 2.5.1

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

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. Verify KaiOS version
    Check the device OS version in Settings > About Phone or System Settings > Device Information. Look for the firmware/OS build number.
    Affected if The device is running KaiOS version 2.5 or 2.5.1 specifically.
  2. Confirm File Manager application presence
    Locate the pre-installed File Manager app on the device home screen or in the application menu.
    Affected if The File Manager application is installed and accessible on the device.
  3. Check email attachment handling capability
    Verify if the device has an email client or email functionality that allows downloading and opening attachments.
    Affected if The device supports receiving email with attachments that can be opened or processed by the File Manager.
  4. Identify downloaded attachment storage location
    Check the device storage for any downloaded files, typically in a Downloads folder or the File Manager's default download directory.
    Affected if The device has stored downloaded email attachments that may contain un-sanitized HTML content.

The device is affected if it runs KaiOS 2.5 or 2.5.1 and has the File Manager application that can open email attachments containing malicious HTML or JavaScript code.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

KaiOS should release a security update that implements proper input sanitization and Content Security Policy in the File Manager application, and users should apply system updates promptly.

Fix this in Kaios Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2019-14758 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