CVE-2021-34579: PHOENIX CONTACT: FL MGUARD DM version 1.12.0 and 1.13.0 Improper Privilege Management

Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Fix not verified

What, why and how

In Phoenix Contact: FL MGUARD DM version 1.12.0 and 1.13.0 access to the Apache web server being installed as part of the FL MGUARD DM on Microsoft Windows does not require login credentials even if configured during installation.Attackers with network access to the Apache web server can download and therefore read mGuard configuration profiles (“ATV profiles”). Such configuration profiles may contain sensitive information, e.g. private keys associated with IPsec VPN connections.

What

Why

The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may obtain information outside the intended access boundary.

What

Why

The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may obtain information outside the intended access boundary.

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation

Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.

No confirmed evidence

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

Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.

None recorded

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 → Improper Privilege Management → obtain information outside the intended access boundary
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-269 ↗
CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management. The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.
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:N/A:N
Common 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.INoneIntegrity impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.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.

NetworkUnauthenticatedCWE-269

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-21229Official EUVD mapping

0 linked advisory records.

Official EUVD record ↗

Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20221116Security Bulletin 16 Nov 2022

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 16 Nov 2022, published on 16 November 2022. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗

JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2021-020483PHOENIX CONTACT の fl mguard dm における脆弱性

PHOENIX CONTACT の fl mguard dm には、不特定の脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗

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: FL MGUARD DM (2981974): 1.12.0, 1.13.0
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.

Evidence and provenance

Published 9 Nov 2022 · Last source change 29 Apr 2025, 15:02 UTC · CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1

CVSS sourceCNA

EPSS source

The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.

FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14

European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-21229

Product sourceCNA

Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references

CWE sourceCNA

NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗

No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.

2022-11-09CVE published

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-21229↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗

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.

PHOENIX CONTACT: FL MGUARD DM version 1.12.0 and 1.13.0 Improper Privilege Management

Published severity in operational context

Evidence used

Compensating controls

Verification

National CERT insights
?
CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

EUVD-2021-21229