CVE-2025-46274 is a vulnerability identified in Planet Technology's UNI-NMS-Lite network management software. The core issue is the presence of hard-coded credentials within the software, classified under CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials). These embedded credentials allow an unauthenticated attacker to gain unauthorized access to the system. Specifically, the attacker can read, manipulate, and create entries in the managed database without needing to authenticate. This vulnerability effectively bypasses standard authentication mechanisms, granting potential full control over the database managed by UNI-NMS-Lite. Since the vulnerability is present in version 0 (likely the initial or early release), all deployments running this version are at risk. The lack of available patches or exploit code in the wild suggests that the vulnerability is newly disclosed and not yet actively exploited, but the risk remains significant due to the ease of exploitation. The vulnerability was reserved and published in April 2025, with enrichment from ICS-CERT, indicating its relevance to industrial control systems or critical infrastructure environments where UNI-NMS-Lite might be deployed. The hard-coded credentials issue is particularly dangerous because it cannot be mitigated by standard password policies or user management controls, requiring vendor intervention or configuration changes to remediate.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be substantial, especially for those relying on UNI-NMS-Lite for network management in critical infrastructure sectors such as telecommunications, utilities, and manufacturing. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could manipulate network management data, potentially disrupting network operations, causing data integrity issues, or enabling further lateral movement within the network. This could lead to service outages, data loss, or unauthorized changes to network configurations. Given that the vulnerability allows unauthenticated access, the attack surface is broad, increasing the likelihood of exploitation. The ability to create and modify database entries could also facilitate persistent backdoors or sabotage of network monitoring capabilities. The medium severity rating reflects the significant risk posed by the vulnerability balanced against the current absence of known exploits in the wild. However, the potential for impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of network management data makes this a critical concern for organizations managing complex or sensitive networks in Europe.

1. Immediate mitigation should include isolating UNI-NMS-Lite instances from public or untrusted networks to reduce exposure to unauthenticated attackers. 2. Network segmentation should be employed to limit access to the management interface only to trusted administrators and systems. 3. Monitor network traffic and logs for any unauthorized access attempts or unusual activity related to UNI-NMS-Lite. 4. If possible, disable or restrict the use of the affected UNI-NMS-Lite version until a vendor patch or update is available. 5. Engage with Planet Technology support to obtain guidance on workarounds or upcoming patches addressing the hard-coded credentials. 6. Implement compensating controls such as multi-factor authentication at the network perimeter and enhanced intrusion detection systems to detect exploitation attempts. 7. Conduct an inventory of all UNI-NMS-Lite deployments within the organization to assess exposure and prioritize remediation efforts. 8. Prepare incident response plans specific to potential exploitation scenarios involving network management systems. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on network isolation, monitoring, and vendor engagement specific to the nature of the vulnerability.