Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This issue exposes sensitive WirelessHART gateway credentials stored in a cookie. If an attacker can steal the cookie through another browser or application weakness, they may obtain credentials for the affected gateway. The supplied sources do not show active exploitation or a confirmed patch.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted operational technology credential-exposure risk, not an internet-wide emergency based on supplied evidence. Prioritize asset identification, vendor guidance review, and credential hygiene for affected gateway administrators.
Technical view
CVE-2021-34564 is a CWE-315 sensitive-data-in-cookie issue affecting WirelessHART-Gateway 3.0.9 on the listed Phoenix Contact WHA-GW-F2D2 variants. CVSS 3.1 is 5.5, with local access and user interaction required, confidentiality impact high, and no stated integrity or availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to environments running the listed WHA-GW-F2D2 gateway variants on version 3.0.9. Risk is highest where administrators use browsers or workstations that could be affected by separate cookie-stealing vulnerabilities.
Exploitation context
The bundle says cookie-stealing vulnerabilities in the application or browser could allow credential theft. It does not cite public exploitation, KEV listing, exploit code, or confirmed attacks in the wild.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse. The source bundle identifies sensitive cookie storage and credential theft dependency on another cookie-stealing path. It does not provide affected CPEs, patch status, exploit maturity, or detailed attack preconditions beyond the CVSS vector.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory affected gateway models and confirm firmware version 3.0.9.
- Review the VDE/vendor advisory for supported update or mitigation guidance.
- Restrict gateway management access to trusted administrative networks and workstations.
- Rotate gateway credentials if cookie theft or workstation compromise is suspected.
- Monitor gateway administrative access for unexpected sessions or account use.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether WHA-GW-F2D2-0-AS-Z2-ETH devices are present.
- Confirm whether WHA-GW-F2D2-0-AS-Z2-ETH.EIP devices are present.
- Record firmware versions and prioritize any running 3.0.9.
- Check browser and workstation exposure for administrators managing affected gateways.
- Verify remediation status against the VDE/vendor advisory.
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-315: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-34564 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N1.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://cert.vde.com/en-us/advisories/vde-2021-027CVE 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.
Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in a Cookie
Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in a Cookie represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.