Horner Automation Cscape and XL4, XL7 PLC Weak password requirements
An attacker with network access to the PLC is able to brute force discover passwords to gain unauthorized access to systems and services. The limited password complexity and no password input limiters makes brute force password enumeration possible.
- Published
- Apr 17, 2026
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.5% · 39th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-521
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Report tools
Action score
37
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 37 / 40 · 9.3 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.5%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · icscert
- 9.3
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities in the database; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
—
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (icscert). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
Horner Automation Cscape
- 10.0affected
Horner Automation XL4 PLC
- 16.32.0affected
Horner Automation XL7 PLC
- 15.60affected
Same product
horner automation: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2024-9508Horner Automation Cscape Out-of-bounds Read34Monitor
- CVE-2024-12212Horner Automation Cscape Out-of-bounds Read34Monitor
- CVE-2026-12897Out-of-bounds read in Horner Automation Cscape33Monitor
- CVE-2025-4098Out-of-bounds Read in Horner Automation Cscape33Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- Integrity
- Availability
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- X
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-521 · Weak Password RequirementsCVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
nvd-secondary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Brute ForceCAPEC-112High
- Dictionary-based Password AttackCAPEC-16likelihood: Medium · High
- Password Brute ForcingCAPEC-49likelihood: Medium · High
- KerberoastingCAPEC-509High
- Rainbow Table Password CrackingCAPEC-55likelihood: Medium · Medium
- Remote Services with Stolen CredentialsCAPEC-555Very High
- Windows Admin Shares with Stolen CredentialsCAPEC-561
- Password SprayingCAPEC-565likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
- Remote ServicesT1021
- Remote Services:SMB/Windows Admin SharesT1021.002
- Valid Accounts:Default AccountsT1078.001
- Brute ForceT1110
- Brute Force:Password GuessingT1110.001
- Brute Force:Password CrackingT1110.002
- Brute Force:Password SprayingT1110.003
- Email Collection:Remote Email CollectionT1114.002
- External Remote ServicesT1133
- Steal or Forge Kerberos Tickets:KerberoastingT1558.003
Change log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
- github.com/cisagov/CSAF/blob/develop/csaf_files/OT/white/2026/icsa-26-106-02.json
- hornerautomation.com/cscape-software-free/cscape-software/
- www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-26-106-02
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.