Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Delta Electronics DIALink used clear HTTP by default in version 1.2.4.0 and earlier. An attacker positioned on the same or adjacent network path could intercept or alter traffic, potentially exposing operational information and affecting integrity or availability.
Executive priority
Treat this as high priority for operational environments because compromise does not require credentials and can affect sensitive data, commands, or availability if an attacker reaches the traffic path.
Technical view
CVE-2021-38418 is CWE-319 cleartext transmission in Delta Electronics DIALink 1.2.4.0 and prior. The CVSS vector is AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact, indicating adjacent-network exposure without credentials or user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where DIALink traffic traverses shared, plant, wireless, contractor, or poorly segmented networks. Internet exposure is not established by the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The realistic threat is interception or tampering by someone already positioned on the network path.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE description, CVSS data, CWE-319 classification, affected DIALink versions, and the CISA ICS advisory reference. Do not claim remote internet exploitation or public exploit activity from this bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Check Delta and CISA guidance for supported updates or configuration changes.
- Inventory DIALink installations and prioritize versions 1.2.4.0 and earlier.
- Restrict DIALink access to trusted, segmented operational networks.
- Avoid sending DIALink traffic over untrusted or shared network paths.
- Monitor for unexpected hosts communicating with DIALink services.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether DIALink is installed and record each deployed version.
- Verify whether default HTTP is enabled in affected deployments.
- Map network paths carrying DIALink traffic and identify shared segments.
- Review logs or network telemetry for unknown adjacent hosts.
- Document compensating controls until vendor guidance is applied.
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-319: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. 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-2021-38418 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
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/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:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ics/advisories/icsa-21-294-02CVE 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.
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.