CVE-2019-25721: Dräger Infinity M300 Denial-of-Service Vulnerability – Network-Induced Device Reboots

Technical summary

CVE-2019-25721 is a CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) denial-of-service vulnerability in Dräger Infinity M300 wearable monitors. The flaw allows an unauthenticated, network-adjacent attacker to transmit malicious requests over the Infinity Network protocol, triggering uncontrolled device reboots. Affected devices lose wireless connectivity and cease patient monitoring operations until manual intervention restores them. The vulnerability affects VG2.3.1 and all earlier firmware versions. CVSS 3.1 score of 6.5 (Medium) reflects high availability impact but no confidentiality or integrity compromise.

Business impact

Patient monitoring discontinuity directly threatens clinical decision-making and patient safety. Repeated forced reboots create gaps in continuous vital-sign tracking, delay alarm notifications, and force clinical staff to manually reset devices, consuming resources and creating workflow disruption. In critical care, intensive care, and perioperative settings where the M300 is typically deployed, even brief monitoring lapses can complicate clinical oversight. Organizations may face regulatory scrutiny if monitoring gaps correlate with adverse patient events.

Affected systems

Dräger Infinity M300 wearable patient monitors running firmware version VG2.3.1 and earlier are affected. The vulnerability requires the device to be connected to an Infinity Network. Verify your deployed firmware version against Dräger's device management or clinical engineering inventory to identify affected units.

Exploitability

Exploitability is moderate. The attack requires network adjacency (attacker must share network access with the target device) but no authentication, credentials, or user interaction. Network-adjacent positioning is achievable in clinical environments where M300 devices operate on medical-device VLANs or shared wireless networks. An attacker with internal network access—whether rogue staff, compromised credentials, or lateral movement—can exploit this reliably and repeatedly.

Remediation

Upgrade all Dräger Infinity M300 monitors to firmware version later than VG2.3.1. Consult Dräger's security advisory for confirmed patch version numbers and upgrade procedures. Given the clinical setting, coordinate firmware updates during planned maintenance windows and validate device functionality post-upgrade. Implement network segmentation to restrict Infinity Network traffic to authorized clinical equipment and management consoles; restrict external network-adjacent access to medical device networks via VLAN isolation and firewall rules.

Patch guidance

Contact Dräger technical support or consult the vendor security advisory to confirm the exact patch version that addresses CVE-2019-25721 and verify compatibility with your deployed M300 hardware revisions. Plan upgrades during low-census or maintenance windows to minimize clinical impact. After patching, perform functional validation including wireless connectivity testing and alarm notification verification before returning devices to clinical use. Document patch version and deployment date for compliance and incident response records.

Detection guidance

Monitor network traffic for unusual request patterns directed at M300 devices on your Infinity Network, particularly rapid, repetitive connection attempts or malformed protocol messages. Correlate network flow data with device reboot events logged in Dräger device management systems or clinical engineering monitoring. Establish alerting for unexpected M300 reboots during patient monitoring sessions. Conduct network segmentation audit to verify M300 devices are isolated from untrusted network segments and that access control lists restrict unauthorized protocol interaction.

Why prioritize this

Although CVSS score is Medium (6.5), the clinical context elevates risk. Any interruption to continuous patient monitoring in critical care environments poses direct harm potential. The low barrier to exploitation (network adjacency, no auth) combined with high operational impact (loss of vital-sign data, alarm delays) and the presence of an unauthenticated attack vector justify prompt patching. However, lack of KEV designation and the requirement for network-adjacent positioning mean this does not warrant emergency-tier response; standard medical-device patch cycles apply.

Risk score, explained

CVSS 3.1 score of 6.5 (Medium) is driven by Attack Vector: Adjacent (AV:A), Access Complexity: Low (AC:L), Privilege Required: None (PR:N), User Interaction: None (UI:N), Availability Impact: High (A:H), with no confidentiality or integrity impact. The score accurately reflects that an unauthenticated attacker can reliably cause service degradation without privilege escalation or data breach, but only from network-adjacent position. In a clinical setting where M300 devices operate on segregated medical networks, the practical exploitability may be lower than the standalone CVSS suggests.

Frequently asked questions