Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-59700

Entrust Nshield 5C Firmware ≤ 13.6.12

Public PoC
Published
02 December 2025
Modified
06 January 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 3.9
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0016 5th percentile
Risk Priority 27 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-59700 is a low-severity Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity (CWE-345) vulnerability in Entrust Nshield 5C Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 3.9 (Low).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 5th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to PE-3 (Physical Access Control) and SI-7 (Software, Firmware, and Information Integrity) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Entrust nShield Connect XC, nShield 5c, and nShield HSMi through 13.6.11, or 13.7, allow a physically proximate attacker with root access to modify the Recovery Partition (because of a lack of integrity protection).

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1070 Indicator Removal Stealth
Adversaries may selectively delete or modify artifacts generated to reduce indications of their presence and blend in with legitimate activity.
T1490 Inhibit System Recovery Impact
Adversaries may delete or remove built-in data and turn off services designed to aid in the recovery of a corrupted system to prevent recovery.
T1542.001 System Firmware Stealth
Adversaries may modify system firmware to persist on systems.
T1542.002 Component Firmware Stealth
Adversaries may modify component firmware to persist on systems.
T1601.001 Patch System Image Defense Impairment
Adversaries may modify the operating system of a network device to introduce new capabilities or weaken existing defenses.
Why these techniques?

Vulnerabilities enable privilege escalation to root via physical access (T1068), firmware/boot chain and recovery partition modification for pre-OS persistence and recovery inhibition (T1542.001, T1542.002, T1490, T1601.001), and indicator removal by editing unprotected tamper logs (T1070).

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-59698Same product: Entrust Nshield 5C
CVE-2025-59699Same product: Entrust Nshield 5C
CVE-2025-59704Same product: Entrust Nshield 5C
CVE-2025-59703Same product: Entrust Nshield 5C
CVE-2025-59702Same product: Entrust Nshield 5C
CVE-2025-59705Same product: Entrust Nshield 5C
CVE-2025-59697Same product: Entrust Nshield 5C
CVE-2025-59696Same product: Entrust Nshield 5C
CVE-2025-59694Same product: Entrust Nshield 5C
CVE-2025-59693Same product: Entrust Nshield 5C

Affected Assets

entrust
nshield 5c firmware
≤ 13.6.12 · 13.7 — 13.9.0
entrust
nshield hsmi firmware
≤ 13.6.12 · 13.7 — 13.9.0
entrust
nshield connect xc base firmware
≤ 13.6.12 · 13.7 — 13.9.0
entrust
nshield connect xc mid firmware
≤ 13.6.12 · 13.7 — 13.9.0
entrust
nshield connect xc high firmware
≤ 13.6.12 · 13.7 — 13.9.0

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • SI-7 Software, Firmware, and Information Integrity
  • PE-3 Physical Access Control
  • SC-34 Non-modifiable Executable Programs
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 8 hardening rules · 5 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V3.5.5

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Directly requires cryptographic integrity verification of firmware/partitions, which is absent on the Recovery Partition in this CVE.

prevent

Enforces physical access restrictions to HSM hardware, blocking the physically proximate attacker prerequisite for this CVE.

prevent

Mandates non-modifiable executable programs or partitions, mitigating unauthorized modification of the Recovery Partition.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

RC.RP-05 mostly match
is degraded by

CWE-345 directly impairs RC.RP-05's verification of restored-asset integrity/authenticity, largely defeating the outcome while still leaving other restoration-confirmation steps partially viable.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

detects

Security testing can detect missing or weak data authenticity verification.

mitigates

Network controls can enforce authenticated channels, reducing risk of accepting unauthentic data.

mitigates

Secure network services often include authenticity checks for data exchanged over those services.

prevents

Cryptographic mechanisms directly verify data origin and integrity, preventing acceptance of unauthentic data.

prevents

Secure SDLC incorporates authenticity verification requirements throughout development.

prevents

Application security requirements can mandate data authenticity verification mechanisms.

References