CVE-2019-6538
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 · uneditedThe Conexus telemetry protocol utilized within Medtronic MyCareLink Monitor versions 24950 and 24952, CareLink Monitor version 2490C, CareLink 2090 Programmer, Amplia CRT-D, Claria CRT-D, Compia CRT-D, Concerto CRT-D, Concerto II CRT-D, Consulta CRT-D, Evera ICD, Maximo II CRT-D and ICD, Mirro ICD, Nayamed ND ICD, Primo ICD, Protecta ICD and CRT-D, Secura ICD, Virtuoso ICD, Virtuoso II ICD, Visia AF ICD, and Viva CRT-D does not implement authentication or authorization. An attacker with adjacent short-range access to an affected product, in situations where the product’s radio is turned on, can inject, replay, modify, and/or intercept data within the telemetry communication. This communication protocol provides the ability to read and write memory values to affected implanted cardiac devices; therefore, an attacker could exploit this communication protocol to change memory in the implanted cardiac device.
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 confidenceThe Conexus telemetry protocol used in Medtronic cardiac devices (ICDs, CRT-Ds, and monitors) lacks authentication or authorization controls. An attacker with adjacent short-range wireless access can inject, replay, modify, or intercept telemetry communications, potentially allowing modification of memory in implanted cardiac devices.
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= 24950= 24952= 2490call versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Inventory Medtronic cardiac devicesIdentify all Medtronic implantable cardiac devices (ICDs, CRT-Ds) and associated monitors in your environment. Check device records or physically inspect devices for model numbers.Affected if Device model is Amplia CRT-D, Claria CRT-D, Compia CRT-D, Concerto CRT-D, Concerto II CRT-D, Mycarelink Monitor, Carelink Monitor, or Carelink 2090
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Check Mycarelink Monitor firmware versionAccess the Mycarelink Monitor settings or system information screen to view the firmware version.Affected if Firmware version equals 24950 or 24952
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Check Carelink Monitor firmware versionAccess the Carelink Monitor settings or system information screen to view the firmware version.Affected if Firmware version equals 2490c (hexadecimal)
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Check Carelink 2090 firmware versionAccess the Carelink 2090 device settings or system information to view firmware version.Affected if Any firmware version is installed (all versions affected)
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Check telemetry usage statusDetermine whether the Conexus telemetry feature is actively enabled on the device or monitor for remote communication.Affected if Telemetry is enabled and the device is one of the affected models or firmware versions
You are affected if you have any Medtronic Mycarelink Monitor (firmware 24950/24952), Carelink Monitor (2490c), Carelink 2090, or any of the Amplia/Claria/Compia/Concerto/Concerto II CRT-D devices, and telemetry is in use.
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 dataOrganizations should coordinate with Medtronic for available firmware updates, minimize telemetry usage windows, and enforce physical security during device programming sessions; until patches are applied, limit exposure by controlling physical proximity to devices.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,416.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-6538 — 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-2019-6538 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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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.
- 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