VulnerabilityPublished 10 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-22614: Eaton EasySoft · Storing Passwords in a Recoverable Format

Affects Eaton EasySoftSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.1 Medium : upgrade to 8.4 when convenient.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 06:59 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.1Medium

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

EPSS: 0.08% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 0% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 8.4

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

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

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

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
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: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
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: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 29 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.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), 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

Upgrade Eaton EasySoft to 8.4.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
EatonEasySoft	Affected <8.4	Fixed in 8.4

AI-suggested

Immediately update Eaton EasySoft to the latest patched version available from the Eaton download center to eliminate the vulnerability.
Implement strict access controls and monitoring on systems running EasySoft to prevent unauthorized local access.
Use endpoint protection solutions to detect and block unauthorized file access or suspicious activities on hosts with EasySoft installed.
Regularly audit and restrict user privileges to minimize the risk of privilege escalation.
Employ encryption and secure storage best practices for sensitive files and credentials outside of EasySoft.
Conduct security awareness training for personnel to recognize and prevent insider threats.
Maintain robust backup and integrity verification of project files to detect and recover from tampering.
Monitor for unusual modifications or access patterns to EasySoft project files as an early warning of exploitation attempts.

Description

The encryption mechanism used in Eaton's EasySoft project file was insecure and susceptible to brute force attacks, an attacker with access to this file and the local host machine could potentially read the sensitive information stored and tamper with the project file. This security issue has been fixed in the latest version of Eaton EasySoft which is available on the Eaton download centre.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-22614 is the compromise of confidentiality due to recoverable password storage. Attackers who gain local access can extract credentials, potentially escalating privileges or manipulating project files, which could lead to unauthorized control over industrial automation configurations. This could disrupt operational integrity indirectly by enabling malicious configuration changes. Although availability is not directly affected, the breach of sensitive information could facilitate further attacks or insider threats. Organizations relying on Eaton EasySoft for critical infrastructure or industrial control systems face increased risk of espionage, sabotage, or operational disruption if this vulnerability is exploited. The requirement for local access limits remote exploitation but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with inadequate endpoint security or insider threats.

CWE-257Storing Passwords in a Recoverable Format (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A04:2021: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
The storage of passwords in a recoverable format makes them subject to password reuse attacks by malicious users. In fact, it should be noted that recoverable encrypted passwords provide no significant benefit over plaintext passwords since they are subject not only to reuse by malicious attackers but also by malicious insiders. If a system administrator can recover a password directly, or use a brute force search on the available information, the administrator can use the password on other accounts.
Architecture and Design
Use strong, non-reversible encryption to protect stored passwords.
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V2.8.5 (opens in a new tab)
V2.8.4 (opens in a new tab)
V9.2.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Password Brute Forcing (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

eaton.com/content/dam/eaton/company/news-insights/cybersecurity/security-bulletins/etn-va-2025-1023.pdf (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 10 Mar 2026, 11:03 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-257

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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