VulnerabilityPublished 7 Jan 2026

CVE-2026-22544: EFACEC QC 60/90/120 · Cleartext Transmission

Affects EFACEC QC 60/90/120Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.7 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score

8.7High

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 14% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Requirements: None
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Vulnerable system confidentiality: High
Vulnerable system integrity: None
Vulnerable system availability: None
Subsequent system confidentiality: None
Subsequent system integrity: None
Subsequent system availability: None

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

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable system is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed below, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed “remotely exploitable” and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: The attacker must take no measurable action to exploit the vulnerability. The attack requires no target-specific circumvention to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: None: The successful attack does not depend on the deployment and execution conditions of the vulnerable system. The attacker can expect to be able to reach the vulnerability and execute the exploit under all or most instances of the vulnerability.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files of the vulnerable system to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without interaction from any human user, other than the attacker.
Vulnerable system confidentiality: High: There is a total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all information within the Vulnerable System being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact. For example, an attacker steals the administrator's password, or private encryption keys of a web server.
Vulnerable system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Vulnerable System.
Vulnerable system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the Subsequent System or all confidentiality impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the Subsequent System or all integrity impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.
Subsequent system availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the Subsequent System or all availability impact is constrained to the Vulnerable System.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v4.0 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 7 Jan 2026
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 26 Oct 2026.

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 or the CVSS exploit maturity 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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
EFACECQC 60/90/120	Affected =8	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Immediately segment networks to isolate EFACEC QC 60/90/120 devices from general IT and internet-facing networks to limit attacker access.
Employ encrypted VPN tunnels or IPsec to secure all communications to and from the affected devices until patches are available.
Monitor network traffic for unencrypted credential transmissions and unusual access patterns using intrusion detection systems (IDS) and network traffic analysis tools.
Restrict network access to the devices by implementing strict firewall rules and access control lists (ACLs) allowing only trusted management hosts.
Coordinate with EFACEC for timely patch releases and apply updates as soon as they become available.
Conduct regular credential audits and enforce strong password policies to reduce the impact of potential credential compromise.
Train network and security teams to recognize signs of credential interception and lateral movement.
Consider deploying network encryption gateways or proxies if native device encryption cannot be implemented immediately.

Description

An attacker with a network connection could detect credentials in clear text.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-22544 is the compromise of sensitive credentials transmitted in cleartext, leading to a breach of confidentiality. For European organizations, especially those in critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, transportation, and manufacturing where EFACEC QC devices are deployed, this could result in unauthorized access to control systems or administrative interfaces. Such access could facilitate further attacks, including data exfiltration, operational disruption, or sabotage. The vulnerability does not directly affect system integrity or availability but indirectly increases risk by enabling attackers to gain footholds within networks. The ease of exploitation without authentication or user interaction increases the threat level, particularly in environments with insufficient network segmentation or monitoring. The exposure of credentials could also lead to lateral movement within networks, amplifying the potential damage. Organizations relying on these devices must consider the risk of espionage, operational disruption, and compliance violations under European data protection regulations.

Summary

CVE-2026-22544 is a vulnerability identified in EFACEC QC 60/90/120 devices, specifically version 8, where credentials are transmitted over the network in cleartext. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-319, which pertains to the cleartext transmission of sensitive information. An attacker with network access can passively intercept these credentials without requiring authentication or user interaction, due to the lack of encryption or secure transmission protocols protecting the credential data. The CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.7 reflects the vulnerability's high impact on confidentiality, with no impact on integrity or availability. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), with low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and high impact on confidentiality (VC:H). The vulnerability affects EFACEC's QC 60/90/120 product line, which is used in various industrial and infrastructure environments. Although no exploits have been reported in the wild yet, the vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the ease of interception and potential for credential compromise, which could lead to unauthorized access or further exploitation. The lack of available patches at the time of publication necessitates immediate mitigation through network controls and monitoring.

CWE-319Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A04:2025: Cryptographic Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors.
Architecture and Design
Before transmitting, encrypt the data using reliable, confidentiality-protecting cryptographic protocols.
Implementation
When using web applications with SSL, use SSL for the entire session from login to logout, not just for the initial login page.
Implementation
When designing hardware platforms, ensure that approved encryption algorithms (such as those recommended by NIST) protect paths from security critical data to trusted user applications.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Transport Layer Protection (opens in a new tab)
TLS Cipher String (opens in a new tab)
User Privacy Protection (opens in a new tab)
Password Storage (opens in a new tab)
Cryptographic Storage (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V9.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
V1.9.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Session Sidejacking (opens in a new tab)
Harvesting Information via API Event Monitoring (opens in a new tab)
Signature Spoofing by Mixing Signed and Unsigned Content (opens in a new tab)
Sniff Application Code (opens in a new tab)
Interception (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

cds.thalesgroup.com/en (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 7 Jan 2026, 16:56 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-319

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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