Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
FANUC ROBOGUIDE installs files and folders with overly broad access. A lower-privileged local user may be able to replace original program binaries and gain higher privileges. This is not a remote internet attack based on the provided CVSS vector.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate workstation privilege-escalation risk. It is less urgent than remotely exploitable ICS issues, but matters where ROBOGUIDE is installed on shared or weakly controlled systems.
Technical view
CVE-2021-43986 is an improper access control issue in FANUC ROBOGUIDE. The setup program grants full access to product files and folders, enabling binary replacement. CVSS 3.1 is 6.0 with local access, low privileges, user interaction, high complexity, and high integrity and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Organizations using FANUC ROBOGUIDE are potentially exposed, with the source listing all versions as affected. Risk is concentrated on systems where untrusted or lower-privileged users can access the installed application files.
Exploitation context
The provided bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires local access, low privileges, user interaction, and high complexity according to the CVSS vector.
Researcher notes
The core issue is insecure file and folder permissions created by the installer. The public bundle does not provide exploit details, patch identifiers, or mitigation specifics beyond the advisory reference.
Mitigation direction
- Check FANUC and CISA guidance for current remediation or vendor-supported fixes.
- Limit local access to systems running FANUC ROBOGUIDE.
- Restrict use to trusted users where operationally feasible.
- Monitor ROBOGUIDE installation paths for unexpected binary changes.
- Prioritize remediation on shared engineering or simulation workstations.
Validation and detection
- Inventory systems with FANUC ROBOGUIDE installed.
- Confirm whether unauthorized users have write access to ROBOGUIDE files or folders.
- Review installed binaries for unexpected modification or replacement.
- Check endpoint logs for suspicious changes in ROBOGUIDE directories.
- Document compensating controls if no vendor fix is available.
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-284: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. 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 lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-43986 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
- 6 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H0.85.2Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ics/advisories/icsa-22-109-03CVE 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.
Improper Access Control
Improper Access Control represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.