Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2024-45620 affects OpenSC's pkcs15-init tool. A malicious smart card or USB device could send crafted responses that cause incorrect buffer handling. Business impact appears limited because exploitation requires physical device interaction and high complexity, but environments using smart cards should still track vendor fixes.
Executive priority
Treat this as low urgency for most environments, but include it in normal patch management. Raise priority for teams that rely on smart-card enrollment, handle externally supplied tokens, or manage shared workstations where physical device exposure is realistic.
Technical view
The issue is in OpenSC pkcs15-init handling of APDU responses from smart cards or USB devices. When buffers are only partially filled, code may incorrectly access buffer contents. The CVSS 3.1 score is 3.9 with physical attack vector, high attack complexity, and low confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on systems with OpenSC/libopensc or the opensc package installed, especially where pkcs15-init is used for smart-card initialization or provisioning. Red Hat lists RHEL 7, 8, 9, and 10 as affected. The bundle does not provide precise affected versions.
Exploitation context
No active exploitation is supported by the provided sources, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. The described attacker needs a crafted smart card or USB device that can present malicious APDU responses, making opportunistic remote exploitation unlikely from the supplied evidence.
Researcher notes
Evidence names pkcs15-init and crafted APDU responses, but the bundle does not include exact affected upstream versions, commit details, or confirmed exploit availability. Red Hat lists multiple RHEL releases affected, and Debian LTS has an advisory reference. Avoid assuming broader OpenSC impact beyond the cited package/tool context.
Mitigation direction
- Check Red Hat, Debian, and OpenSC guidance for fixed package versions.
- Update opensc/libopensc packages through supported vendor channels when fixes are available.
- Restrict use of untrusted smart cards or USB smart-card devices.
- Review smart-card provisioning workflows that use pkcs15-init.
Validation and detection
- Inventory hosts with OpenSC, libopensc, or opensc packages installed.
- Identify whether pkcs15-init is used in provisioning or administrative workflows.
- Check vendor advisories for package status against CVE-2024-45620.
- Prioritize validation on systems accepting external smart cards or USB devices.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CWE-120: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2024-45620 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Low
- CVSS
- 3.9 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L0.53.4redhatVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
3.9LowVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- Source timelineredhat
Made public.
- Source timelineredhat
Reported to Red Hat.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2024-45620CVE reference, redhat · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2309289CVE reference, redhat · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/12/msg00026.htmlCVE reference, CVE
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow')
Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.