CISA and FDA Alert on Backdoor Risk in Contec Patient Monitors

Urgent Cybersecurity Alert: Vulnerabilities Found in Contec CMS8000 and Epsimed MN-120 Patient Monitors

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have issued a significant cybersecurity alert concerning vulnerabilities in the Contec CMS8000 and Epsimed MN-120 patient monitors. This alert comes as a response to the identification of a critical flaw, tracked as CVE-2025-0626, which has a high severity score of 7.7 on the CVSS v4 scale. This issue could potentially expose sensitive patient data and compromise device integrity.

Overview of the Vulnerabilities

According to CISA, the identified vulnerabilities allow unauthorized access to the devices, raising serious concerns about patient safety. The vulnerability CVE-2025-0626 enables the devices to send remote access requests to a hard-coded IP address, circumventing standard network security protocols. This creates a backdoor that malicious actors could exploit to upload harmful files or manipulate device operations.

Key Vulnerabilities Include:

• CVE-2025-0626: Allows remote access to a hard-coded IP address.
• CVE-2024-12248 (CVSS v4 score: 9.3): An out-of-bounds write vulnerability which could lead to remote code execution.
• CVE-2025-0683 (CVSS v4 score: 8.2): A privacy leakage issue that transmits plain-text patient data to an unauthorized public IP address.

Impact of the Vulnerabilities

The implications of these vulnerabilities are far-reaching. Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-0683 could allow unauthorized entities to access confidential patient information, leading to potential adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) attacks. CISA emphasizes the seriousness of these flaws, stating that they could allow unauthorized actors to bypass critical cybersecurity measures.

Affected Products Include:

• CMS8000 Patient Monitor: Firmware version smart3250-2.6.27-wlan2.1.7.cramfs
• CMS8000 Patient Monitor: Firmware version CMS7.820.075.08/0.74(0.75)
• CMS8000 Patient Monitor: Firmware version CMS7.820.120.01/0.93(0.95)
• All versions of CMS8000 Patient Monitors (CVE-2025-0626 and CVE-2025-0683)

Recommendations for Healthcare Providers

Given the unpatched status of these vulnerabilities, CISA recommends that healthcare organizations take immediate action. The agency advises unplugging and removing any Contec CMS8000 or Epsimed MN-120 devices from their networks to mitigate risks. Additionally, healthcare providers should monitor the performance of these devices for any irregularities, such as discrepancies between displayed patient vitals and actual physical conditions.

The FDA has stated that it is currently unaware of any incidents, injuries, or deaths directly associated with these vulnerabilities. However, the potential for exploitation remains a critical concern for patient safety and privacy.

Conclusion

Contec Medical Systems, based in Qinhuangdao, China, manufactures the CMS8000 patient monitors, which are reportedly FDA-approved and distributed across over 130 countries. The ongoing cybersecurity vulnerabilities pose a significant risk to patient data integrity and device functionality.

For further information on cybersecurity best practices, check out CISA’s resources on protecting medical devices and safeguarding patient information.

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