How severe is CVE-2019-15809?

CVE-2019-15809 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.7, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2019-15809 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (38th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-15809?

CVE-2019-15809 primarily affects Microchip Atmel Toolbox. In total, 8 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-15809?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2019-15809 published?

CVE-2019-15809 was published on 2019-10-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2019-15809

CVE-2019-15809 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Microchip Atmel Toolbox with a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.7. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-203.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 4.7)
CVSS v2: 1.2
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (38th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-203
Affected product: Microchip Atmel Toolbox
Published: 2019-10-03
Last modified: 2026-06-17

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.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-15809?: 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.
How severe is CVE-2019-15809?: CVE-2019-15809 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.7, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2019-15809 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (38th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-15809?: CVE-2019-15809 primarily affects Microchip Atmel Toolbox. In total, 8 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-15809?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2019-15809 published?: CVE-2019-15809 was published on 2019-10-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (8)

cpe:2.3:a:microchip:atmel_toolbox:00.03.11.05:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:athena-scs:idprotect:010b.0352.0005:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:athena-scs:idprotect:010e.1245.0002:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:athena-scs:idprotect:0106.0130.0401:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:cryptsoft:s\/a_idflex_v:010b.0352.0005:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:tecsec:armored_card:010e.0264.0001:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:tecsec:armored_card:108.0264.0001:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:thalesgroup:etoken_4300:010e.1245.0002:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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