CVE-2019-15809

Name: CVE-2019-15809
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2019-10-03T14:15:11.32+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 4.7/10EPSS 0.47%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2019-15809 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 4.7/10 on the CVSS scale. Smart cards from the Athena SCS manufacturer, based on the Atmel Toolbox 00.03.11.05 and the AT90SC chip, contain a timing side channel in ECDSA signature generation. This allows a local attacker, able to measure the duration of hundreds to thousands of signing operations, to compute the private key used. EPSS estimates a 0.47% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

Smart cards from the Athena SCS manufacturer, based on the Atmel Toolbox 00.03.11.05 and the AT90SC chip, contain a timing side channel in ECDSA signature generation. This allows a local attacker, able to measure the duration of hundreds to thousands of signing operations, to compute the private key used. The issue occurs because the Atmel Toolbox 00.03.11.05 contains two versions of ECDSA signature functions, described as fast and secure, but the affected cards chose to use the fast version, which leaks the bit length of the random nonce via timing. This affects Athena IDProtect 010b.0352.0005, Athena IDProtect 010e.1245.0002, Athena IDProtect 0106.0130.0401, Athena IDProtect 010e.1245.0002, Valid S/A IDflex V 010b.0352.0005, SafeNet eToken 4300 010e.1245.0002, TecSec Armored Card 010e.0264.0001, and TecSec Armored Card 108.0264.0001.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

4.7/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.47%

37.5th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-203

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Microchip	Atmel Toolbox	00.03.11.05
Athena-Scs	Idprotect	010b.0352.0005
Athena-Scs	Idprotect	010e.1245.0002
Athena-Scs	Idprotect	0106.0130.0401
Cryptsoft	S\/A Idflex V	010b.0352.0005
Tecsec	Armored Card	010e.0264.0001
Tecsec	Armored Card	108.0264.0001
Thalesgroup	Etoken 4300	010e.1245.0002

References

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/10/02/2Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/Cryptographic-Algorithm-Validation-Program/details?source=ECDSA&number=214Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
https://eprint.iacr.org/2011/232.pdfTechnical Description, Third Party Advisory
https://minerva.crocs.fi.muni.cz/Exploit, Third Party Advisory
https://tches.iacr.org/index.php/TCHES/article/view/7337Technical Description, Third Party Advisory
https://www.ssi.gouv.fr/certification_cc/bibliotheque-cryptographique-atmel-toolbox-00-03-11-05/Product
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/10/02/2Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/Cryptographic-Algorithm-Validation-Program/details?source=ECDSA&number=214Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
https://eprint.iacr.org/2011/232.pdfTechnical Description, Third Party Advisory
https://minerva.crocs.fi.muni.cz/Exploit, Third Party Advisory
https://tches.iacr.org/index.php/TCHES/article/view/7337Technical Description, Third Party Advisory
https://www.ssi.gouv.fr/certification_cc/bibliotheque-cryptographique-atmel-toolbox-00-03-11-05/Product

Timeline

Published: Oct 3, 2019
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-15809?

How severe is CVE-2019-15809?

CVE-2019-15809 has a CVSS score of 4.7/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.47% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2019-15809?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2019-15809?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

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Source: NVD / NIST