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NIHON KOHDEN Central Monitor CNS-6201

Monitor7.5ICS-CERT ICSMA-25-296-01Oct 23, 2025
Attack VectorNetwork
Auth RequiredNone
ComplexityLow
User InteractionNone needed
Summary

A null pointer dereference vulnerability (CWE-476) in the NIHON KOHDEN Central Monitor CNS-6201 allows a remote attacker without authentication to cause a denial-of-service condition by sending a specially crafted network packet. The affected versions (01-03, 01-04, 01-05, 01-06, 02-10, 02-11, 02-40) are no longer supported; maintenance ended in September 2024 in the United States and earlier in other regions. The vulnerability carries a CVSS score of 7.5 (high) and affects patient monitoring availability in hospital environments.

What this means
What could happen
An attacker with network access could remotely crash the CNS-6201 central monitor, causing it to stop displaying patient vital signs and alarm data. Recovery requires manual intervention, leaving the unit unavailable during an active incident.
Who's at risk
Hospital and healthcare facilities operating NIHON KOHDEN CNS-6201 central monitors. This device aggregates and displays patient vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure, SpO2, etc.) for bedside and remote monitoring. Any organization still using end-of-life versions (01-03 through 02-40) is at risk of losing critical patient data visibility.
How it could be exploited
An attacker with network access to the CNS-6201 sends a specially crafted network request that triggers a null pointer dereference in the monitor's software, causing the application to crash and become unresponsive.
Prerequisites
  • Network access to the CNS-6201 device
  • No authentication required
  • No special configuration needed
remotely exploitableno authentication requiredlow complexityno patch availableaffects safety systemsend-of-life product
Exploitability
Low exploit probability (EPSS 0.1%)
Affected products (7)
7 EOL
ProductAffected VersionsFix Status
Central Monitor CNS-6201: 01-0401-04No fix (EOL)
Central Monitor CNS-6201: 01-0501-05No fix (EOL)
Central Monitor CNS-6201: 01-0601-06No fix (EOL)
Central Monitor CNS-6201: 02-1002-10No fix (EOL)
Central Monitor CNS-6201: 02-1102-11No fix (EOL)
Central Monitor CNS-6201: 02-4002-40No fix (EOL)
Central Monitor CNS-6201: 01-0301-03No fix (EOL)
Remediation & Mitigation
0/6
Do now
0/3
HARDENINGIsolate the CNS-6201 from the Internet and all untrusted networks
HARDENINGImplement a firewall or router between the CNS-6201 network and other hospital systems (HIS), allowing only minimum necessary traffic
WORKAROUNDDeploy bedside monitors or medical telemetry systems as redundant vital sign displays to ensure patient monitoring capability if the CNS-6201 fails
Schedule — requires maintenance window
0/2

Patching may require device reboot — plan for process interruption

HARDENINGMonitor all network traffic reaching the CNS-6201 and log suspicious connection attempts
HARDENINGIf remote access is required, use a VPN to secure the connection and keep it updated to the latest version
Long-term hardening
0/1
HOTFIXPlan migration to a successor CNS product that is actively supported by NIHON KOHDEN
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