CVE-2025-48414 identifies a security weakness in the eCharge Hardy Barth cPH2 and cPP2 electric vehicle charging stations, specifically in firmware versions up to and including 2.2.0. The vulnerability arises from the presence of hard-coded credentials embedded within several scripts accessible through the device's web interface. These credentials are undocumented, meaning they are not disclosed in official documentation or user manuals, and were likely implemented to facilitate debugging and administrative tasks during development. However, their presence in production firmware creates an unintended backdoor, allowing an attacker to gain elevated access without requiring legitimate authentication. The scripts accessible via these credentials expose additional administrative and debugging functionalities, which could be leveraged to gather sensitive information or alter device configurations. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without any user interaction, increasing the risk of automated or opportunistic attacks. According to the CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N), the attack complexity is low, no privileges or user interaction are required, and the scope is unchanged. The impact primarily affects confidentiality and integrity, as attackers could potentially access sensitive data or modify settings, but it does not directly impact availability. No public exploits or patches are currently known, indicating that organizations should proactively assess their exposure and implement compensating controls. The vulnerability falls under CWE-798, which concerns the use of hard-coded credentials, a common and critical security flaw that undermines authentication mechanisms and increases the attack surface.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the security and integrity of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Unauthorized access to administrative and debugging functions could enable attackers to manipulate charging station configurations, potentially leading to data leakage, unauthorized usage, or disruption of charging services indirectly through configuration tampering. While availability is not directly impacted, integrity compromises could affect billing accuracy or operational parameters, undermining trust in EV infrastructure. Given the increasing reliance on EV charging stations as critical infrastructure in Europe’s green energy transition, exploitation could have cascading effects on energy management and user confidence. Additionally, attackers could use compromised stations as footholds for lateral movement within organizational networks if these devices are connected to internal systems. The lack of authentication and user interaction requirements means attacks could be automated and widespread if the vulnerability is discovered by malicious actors. Organizations operating these devices must consider the potential regulatory and reputational consequences of breaches involving critical infrastructure components.

Immediate mitigation should include network segmentation to isolate charging stations from critical internal networks, limiting exposure to potential attackers. Organizations should implement strict firewall rules to restrict access to the web interface of the charging stations to trusted management networks only. Monitoring and logging access attempts to these devices should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access early. Since no official patches are currently available, organizations should contact eCharge Hardy Barth for guidance and potential firmware updates addressing this issue. If possible, disable or restrict access to the undocumented scripts or web interface features associated with the hard-coded credentials. Employ network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) to identify anomalous traffic patterns targeting these devices. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests focusing on EV charging infrastructure to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities. Finally, maintain awareness of vendor advisories and apply patches promptly once released.