Evidence used
- No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
- The selected CVSS metric records a network-reachable, unauthenticated path with no user interaction.
- EPSS is 2.22% for the current model date.
BlackTreeCVE IntelligenceFull vulnerability report · 2021
CVE-2021-20597High confidence
n/a Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series Safety CPU modules R08/16/32/120SFCPU; Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series SIL2 Process CPU modules R08/16/32/120PSFCPU — Insufficiently Protected Credentials
Unknown · Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series Safety CPU modules R08/16/32/120SFCPU; Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series SIL2 Process CPU modules R08/16/32/120PSFCPU
9.1CriticalCVSS 3.1
Within 72 hours
Fix not verifiedCritical technical impact with a remotely reachable, unauthenticated path; no CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
R
Open reassessment dashboard →Operational reassessment
Published severity in operational context
Published severityCritical→Operational priority:Critical, unchanged from published severity.unchanged
Compensating controls
- Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
- Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.
Verification
- Confirm that the asset runs Unknown Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series Safety CPU modules R08/16/32/120SFCPU; Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series SIL2 Process CPU modules R08/16/32/120PSFCPU and falls inside the recorded affected range.
- Recheck the vendor advisory before scheduling a change because no verified fixed version is currently retained.
- Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
- Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Critical technical impact with a remotely reachable, unauthenticated path; no CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
Fix not verified01
What, why and how
Insufficiently Protected Credentials vulnerability in Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series Safety CPU modules R08/16/32/120SFCPU firmware versions "26" and prior and Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series SIL2 Process CPU modules R08/16/32/120PSFCPU firmware versions "11" and prior allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to login to the target unauthorizedly by sniffing network traffic and obtaining credentials when registering user information in the target or changing a password.
What
Insufficiently Protected Credentials vulnerability in Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series Safety CPU modules R08/16/32/120SFCPU firmware versions "26" and prior and Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series SIL2 Process CPU modules R08/16/32/120PSFCPU firmware versions "11" and prior allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to login to the target unauthorizedly by sniffing network traffic and obtaining credentials when registering user information in the target or changing a password.
Why
The product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
What
Insufficiently Protected Credentials vulnerability in Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series Safety CPU modules R08/16/32/120SFCPU firmware versions "26" and prior and Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series SIL2 Process CPU modules R08/16/32/120PSFCPU firmware versions "11" and prior allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to login to the target unauthorizedly by sniffing network traffic and obtaining credentials when registering user information in the target or changing a password.
Why
The product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation No confirmed evidence
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
Public PoC / exploit material None recorded
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.
- Likely attack path
- a network path → Insufficiently Protected Credentials → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
- Attack surface
- Network
- Privileges required
- None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
- Security boundary
- Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
- Weakness
?
CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness. - CWE-522 ↗
CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials. The product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval.
- CVSS vector
?
CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity. CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:NCommon Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.ANoneAvailability impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.- Post-exploitation / living off the land
- Stolen credentials, tokens and legitimate administration functions may provide continued access without deploying a large custom toolset.
03
Patch and workaround
Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.
- Status
?
Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change. - Fix not verified
- Affected
- Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series Safety CPU modules R08/16/32/120SFCPU
- Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series SIL2 Process CPU modules R08/16/32/120PSFCPU: Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series Safety CPU modules R08/16/32/120SFCPU firmware versions "26" and prior, Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R series SIL2 Process CPU modules R08/16/32/120PSFCPU firmware versions "11" and prior
- Fixed
- No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
- Action
- No verified patch reference is present in the current structured sources. Check the vendor advisory before making a change.
- Workaround
- No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04
Evidence and provenance
Published 6 Aug 2021 · Last source change 3 Aug 2024, 17:45 UTC · CWE-522 · Insufficiently Protected Credentials
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
?
The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-8015
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceNIST NVD
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment
Missing structured fields: affected product. Missing data is not evidence of low risk; review the primary advisory.
Material change intelligence
View recent updates ↗What changed after publication
No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
- CVE
- Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
- CVSS
- Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
- EPSS
- Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
- CWE
- Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
- CNA
- CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
- CISA ADP
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
- NVD
- National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
- CERT / CSIRT
- A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
- PoC
- Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
- CSAF
- Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
- LoTL
- Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.