Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw affects ABB RobotWare for OmniCore robot controllers. If an attacker can reach the Connected Services Gateway Ethernet port, missing authentication could let them read or modify files on the controller. For industrial robotics, unauthorized file changes can create safety, uptime, and production integrity concerns.
Executive priority
Treat this as high-priority OT risk where ABB OmniCore controllers are deployed. The business urgency depends on whether the gateway port is reachable beyond trusted maintenance networks.
Technical view
CVE-2021-22279 is a CWE-306 missing authentication issue in ABB RobotWare for OmniCore. The CVSS 3.1 score is 9.8: network-accessible, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to environments where an attacker can access the Connected Services Gateway Ethernet port on an OmniCore controller. Highest concern is routed OT networks, poorly segmented plant networks, or remote access paths that can reach that port.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. The risk remains high because the weakness requires no authentication once the relevant Ethernet port is reachable.
Researcher notes
The source bundle does not specify affected RobotWare versions or confirmed fixes. Analysis is therefore limited to the CVE description, CVSS vector, CWE classification, KEV=false signal, and ABB advisory reference.
Mitigation direction
- Check ABB advisory SI20265 for vendor-supported fixes or mitigations.
- Restrict access to the Connected Services Gateway Ethernet port.
- Segment OmniCore controllers from untrusted IT and remote access networks.
- Review firewall rules for unintended paths into robot controller networks.
- Prioritize operational change control before applying vendor updates.
Validation and detection
- Inventory OmniCore controllers and RobotWare deployments.
- Identify every network path to the Connected Services Gateway Ethernet port.
- Confirm only trusted management hosts can reach the gateway port.
- Review controller files and change records for unauthorized modifications.
- Track ABB guidance for affected versions and remediation status.
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-306: 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 lookupCVE-2021-22279 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
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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.
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:H/A:H3.95.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://search.abb.com/library/Download.aspx?DocumentID=SI20265&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=&Action=LaunchCVE reference · 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.
Missing Authentication for Critical Function
Missing Authentication for Critical Function represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.