Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This issue exposes Omron PLC unlock passwords because affected programming software and PLC firmware transmit them in cleartext. An attacker who can observe the industrial network during an unlock request could capture sensitive credentials and potentially affect PLC operations.
Executive priority
Treat as urgent for sites using the named Omron PLC products. The issue can expose operational credentials and could affect industrial control integrity, but urgency should be prioritized by actual product presence and network accessibility.
Technical view
CVE-2015-0987 is CWE-319 cleartext transmission in Omron CX-One CX-Programmer before 9.6, CJ2M PLC firmware before 2.1, and CJ2H PLC firmware before 1.5. The cited condition is network sniffing during a PLC unlock request. CVSS v3.1 is 10.0.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in OT environments using the named Omron engineering software or CJ2M/CJ2H PLC firmware versions before the listed releases, especially where PLC programming traffic is visible to other network hosts.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Exploitation requires network visibility during a PLC unlock request, so risk depends heavily on OT network segmentation and engineering workstation practices.
Researcher notes
The source bundle gives affected product/version boundaries and attack condition, but not packet details, exploit tooling, or current vendor instructions. Avoid assuming broader Omron impact beyond CX-Programmer, CJ2M, and CJ2H.
Mitigation direction
- Identify CX-Programmer, CJ2M, and CJ2H versions in affected facilities.
- Upgrade affected components to the non-vulnerable versions identified by the advisory.
- Check current Omron and CISA guidance for supported remediation paths.
- Restrict access to PLC programming networks to trusted engineering systems.
- Reduce opportunities for untrusted hosts to observe PLC unlock traffic.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Omron CX-One CX-Programmer installations and record versions.
- Inventory CJ2M and CJ2H PLC firmware versions.
- Confirm whether PLC unlock workflows occur on shared or monitored networks.
- Review network segmentation around engineering workstations and PLCs.
- Document remediation status for each affected asset.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CWE-319: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2015-0987 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 10 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:H3.96CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
10CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-15-274-01CVE reference, icscert · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information
Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.