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Code InjectionWeakness · CWE-94

CVE-2024-25077

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-10
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
An issue was discovered on Renesas SmartBond DA14691, DA14695, DA14697, and DA14699 devices. The Nonce used for on-the-fly decryption of flash images is stored in an unsigned header, allowing its value to be modified without invalidating the signature used for secureboot image verification. Because the encryption engine for on-the-fly decryption uses AES in CTR mode without authentication, an attacker-modified Nonce can result in execution of arbitrary code.

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 SmartBond DA14691/95/97/99 devices store the Nonce for on-the-fly flash decryption in an unsigned header, allowing modification without invalidating the secureboot signature. Since AES-CTR mode is used without authentication, an attacker can manipulate the Nonce to decrypt and execute arbitrary code, bypassing secureboot verification.

MitigationRenesas should provide a firmware patch that includes the Nonce in the signed region or adds authentication (e.g., AES-GCM) to the decryption process; device manufacturers must apply the update and re-sign flash images.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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:3.1/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 the SmartBond device model
    Check the device markings, firmware identification, or bootloader banner for the exact part number (DA14691, DA14695, DA14697, or DA14699)
    Affected if The device model is not one of these four variants, the device is not affected by this CVE
  2. Verify secureboot is enabled
    Inspect the device security configuration registers or bootloader settings to confirm secureboot validation is active
    Affected if Secureboot is disabled, the bypass mechanism described in this CVE is not applicable to your deployment
  3. Determine the installed firmware version
    Read the firmware version from the device bootloader banner, flash memory header, or via debug interface using device-specific tools (e.g., SmartBond Flash Programmer or JTAG/SWD)
    Affected if You cannot determine the firmware version or the version is unknown; compare against any vendor release notes for fixed versions
  4. Confirm AES-CTR flash encryption is in use
    Examine the flash encryption configuration in the device security settings or firmware build configuration to verify AES-CTR mode is enabled
    Affected if AES-CTR mode is not used for flash encryption, the specific attack vector described does not apply
  5. Check if Nonce resides in unsigned flash region
    Analyze the flash memory layout or firmware image structure to determine whether the decryption Nonce is stored outside the secureboot signed region (requires access to firmware binary or memory dump)
    Affected if The Nonce is included within the secureboot signed region, the vulnerability allowing modification without signature invalidation does not exist

The device is affected if it is a DA14691/95/97/99 model with secureboot enabled, uses AES-CTR flash encryption, and stores the decryption Nonce in an unsigned flash region.

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

Renesas should provide a firmware patch that includes the Nonce in the signed region or adds authentication (e.g., AES-GCM) to the decryption process; device manufacturers must apply the update and re-sign flash images.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $7,000
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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-2024-25077 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