CVE-2025-27846VulnerabilityPublished 14 Aug 2025Updated 15 Aug 2025

CVE-2025-27846: n/a

Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.3 Medium · fixed in 3.3.8 : update affected systems when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 8% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 3.3.8

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Attack Vector: Physical
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Physical: The attack requires the attacker to physically touch or manipulate the vulnerable component. Physical interaction may be brief or persistent.
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 Aug 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2025-27846, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Upgrade ESPEC North America Web Controller 3 devices to version 3.3.8 or later, where protections for GRUB and BIOS are presumably implemented. 2) Enforce strict physical security controls around devices, including locked cabinets, restricted access areas, and surveillance to prevent unauthorized physical access. 3) Where possible, configure BIOS and GRUB with strong passwords and enable secure boot features to prevent unauthorized boot modifications. 4) Implement tamper-evident seals and intrusion detection mechanisms on hardware to alert on unauthorized access attempts. 5) Conduct regular audits and physical inspections of critical devices to ensure security controls are intact. 6) Train personnel on the risks of physical access attacks and enforce strict access policies during maintenance or operational activities. 7) Integrate device-level monitoring to detect anomalous behavior indicative of privilege escalation or boot process tampering. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on firmware-level protections and physical security integration specific to this vulnerability.

Description

In ESPEC North America Web Controller 3 before 3.3.8, an attacker with physical access can gain elevated privileges because GRUB and the BIOS are unprotected.

Impact

For European organizations deploying ESPEC North America Web Controller 3 devices, this vulnerability poses a tangible risk primarily in environments where physical security controls are insufficient. Industrial control systems, manufacturing facilities, and critical infrastructure sectors using these controllers could face unauthorized access risks if attackers gain physical proximity. The elevated privileges obtained could allow attackers to alter device configurations, disrupt operations, or exfiltrate sensitive operational data. Although remote exploitation is not possible, insider threats or attackers with physical access during maintenance or in unsecured locations could exploit this vulnerability. Given the increasing focus on securing operational technology (OT) environments in Europe, this vulnerability could undermine compliance with regulations such as NIS2 Directive and GDPR if it leads to data breaches or operational disruptions. The medium severity suggests that while the risk is not critical, it should not be ignored, especially in high-value or sensitive installations.

CWE-269Improper Privilege Management (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
Architecture and Design · Operation
Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Consider following the principle of separation of privilege. Require multiple conditions to be met before permitting access to a system resource.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Docker Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
Virtual Patching (opens in a new tab)
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.4.4 (opens in a new tab)
V1.4.5 (opens in a new tab)
V1.10.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Restful Privilege Elevation (opens in a new tab)
Privilege Abuse (opens in a new tab)
Privilege Escalation (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 22 Aug 2025, 01:07 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-269

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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