CVE-2026-1364 identifies a critical security vulnerability in the IAQS product developed by JNC, classified under CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Function). The vulnerability arises because IAQS lacks proper authentication mechanisms for certain administrative functions, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to perform system-level operations. This means an attacker can connect remotely to the IAQS system and execute administrative commands without providing any credentials or undergoing any verification process. The CVSS 4.0 base score of 9.3 reflects the vulnerability's critical nature, with attack vector being network-based (AV:N), requiring no attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges (PR:N), and no user interaction (UI:N). The impact metrics indicate high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts (VC:H/VI:H/VA:H), meaning attackers can fully compromise the system, manipulate data, and disrupt services. The vulnerability does not require any scope change or security authority modifications (SC:N/SI:N/SA:N). Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the straightforward exploitation path and critical impact make it a high-risk issue. IAQS is used in industrial automation and quality systems, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where system integrity and uptime are crucial. The lack of authentication on critical functions could lead to unauthorized control, data manipulation, or denial of service, severely affecting operational technology environments.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2026-1364 could be severe, especially for those in sectors relying on industrial automation and quality assurance systems, such as manufacturing, energy, and critical infrastructure. Unauthorized remote access to administrative functions could lead to full system compromise, data theft, sabotage, or operational downtime. This could result in financial losses, regulatory penalties under GDPR if personal data is affected, and damage to reputation. The vulnerability's ease of exploitation means attackers could quickly leverage it to disrupt supply chains or critical services. Additionally, given the interconnected nature of industrial systems, a successful attack could propagate, affecting multiple facilities or partners across Europe. The lack of authentication also raises concerns about insider threats or external attackers gaining persistent access. Organizations may face challenges in detecting exploitation due to the absence of authentication logs or alerts. Overall, the vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical systems within European enterprises.

1. Immediately restrict network access to IAQS administrative interfaces by implementing strict firewall rules and network segmentation to limit exposure to trusted hosts only. 2. Deploy intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) with signatures or heuristics to monitor for unauthorized access attempts targeting IAQS. 3. Implement strong network-level authentication mechanisms such as VPNs or IPsec tunnels to protect IAQS communications until vendor patches are available. 4. Continuously monitor system logs and network traffic for unusual activities indicative of exploitation attempts, even if authentication logs are absent. 5. Engage with JNC to obtain and apply official patches or updates addressing the missing authentication vulnerability as soon as they are released. 6. Conduct thorough security assessments and penetration tests focusing on IAQS deployments to identify and remediate any additional weaknesses. 7. Develop and enforce strict access control policies and operational procedures to minimize the risk of unauthorized administrative actions. 8. Educate relevant personnel about the vulnerability and the importance of reporting suspicious activities promptly. 9. Consider deploying application-layer gateways or reverse proxies that can enforce authentication externally as a temporary compensating control. 10. Maintain an incident response plan tailored to potential IAQS compromise scenarios to enable rapid containment and recovery.