Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Some WAGO managed switches expose password hashes for Web-based Management users to an unauthenticated network attacker. Hashes are not plain passwords, but they can be attacked offline and may reveal administrator credentials, especially where passwords are weak or reused.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority infrastructure confidentiality issue. Prioritize internet-exposed or widely reachable switches first, because exposed hashes can become usable credentials and support broader network compromise.
Technical view
CVE-2021-20997 is a CWE-522 credential-protection flaw affecting listed WAGO managed switch models. The CVSS 3.1 vector is AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N, reflecting network-reachable, unauthenticated disclosure of all Web-based Management user password hashes.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where affected WAGO switch management interfaces are reachable from untrusted networks or broadly reachable internal segments. The source bundle lists affected models but does not specify exact vulnerable firmware versions.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not support active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked KEV in the bundle. The risk is credential disclosure, offline password recovery, and possible follow-on access if recovered credentials are valid or reused.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE description, CVSS vector, affected model list, CWE-522 classification, and VDE advisory reference. The bundle does not name exact versions, patches, workarounds, proof-of-concept status, or observed exploitation.
Mitigation direction
- Review VDE and WAGO guidance for affected models and firmware-specific fixes.
- Restrict management interfaces to trusted administration networks only.
- Rotate Web-based Management passwords after remediation or exposure concern.
- Use strong, unique passwords for switch management accounts.
- Audit for reused credentials across network infrastructure.
Validation and detection
- Inventory WAGO models 0852-0303, 0852-1305, 0852-1505, and listed variants.
- Confirm firmware exposure status against vendor advisory guidance.
- Verify management interfaces are not internet-accessible.
- Review access logs for unexpected management-interface requests.
- Check whether WBM credentials are reused elsewhere.
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
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-522: Credential and account abuse lookup
Authentication and credential weaknesses can make valid-account abuse and credential telemetry useful review starting points. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
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-2021-20997 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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.
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:U/C:H/I:N/A:N3.93.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://cert.vde.com/en-us/advisories/vde-2021-013CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
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.
Insufficiently Protected Credentials
Insufficiently Protected Credentials represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.