Security Resilience

CVE-2023-43776

Crypto Weakness in Eaton Easy-Box-E4-Ac1 Firmware ≤ 2.02

Published
17 October 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0012 2th percentile
Risk Priority 46 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2023-43776 is a medium-severity Weak Encoding for Password (CWE-261) vulnerability in Eaton Easy-Box-E4-Ac1 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 6.8 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Query Registry (T1012); ranked at the 2th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Eaton easyE4 PLC offers a device password protection functionality to facilitate a secure connection and prevent unauthorized access. It was observed that the device password was stored with a weak encoding algorithm in the easyE4 program file when exported to…

more

SD card (*.PRG file ending).

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1012 Query Registry Discovery
Adversaries may interact with the Windows Registry to gather information about the system, configuration, and installed software.
T1016.001 Internet Connection Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may check for Internet connectivity on compromised systems.
T1021.004 SSH Lateral Movement
Adversaries may use [Valid Accounts](https://attack.
T1021.007 Cloud Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may log into accessible cloud services within a compromised environment using [Valid Accounts](https://attack.
T1021.008 Direct Cloud VM Connections Lateral Movement
Adversaries may leverage [Valid Accounts](https://attack.
T1027.001 Binary Padding Stealth
Adversaries may use binary padding to add junk data and change the on-disk representation of malware.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-7237Shared CWE-261, CWE-326
CVE-2023-28896Shared CWE-261, CWE-326
CVE-2023-22271Shared CWE-261, CWE-326
CVE-2024-45273Shared CWE-261, CWE-326
CVE-2024-34113Shared CWE-261, CWE-326
CVE-2023-0525Shared CWE-261, CWE-326
CVE-2024-8455Shared CWE-261, CWE-326
CVE-2024-31416Same vendor: Eaton
CVE-2024-31415Same vendor: Eaton
CVE-2026-22617Same vendor: Eaton

Affected Assets

eaton
easy-box-e4-ac1 firmware
≤ 2.02
eaton
easy-box-e4-dc1 firmware
≤ 2.02
eaton
easy-box-e4-uc1 firmware
≤ 2.02
eaton
easy-e4-ac-12rc1p firmware
≤ 2.02
eaton
easy-e4-ac-12rcx1p firmware
≤ 2.02
eaton
easy-e4-ac-16re1p firmware
≤ 2.02
eaton
easy e4-ac-8re1p firmware
≤ 2.02
eaton
easy-e4-dc-12tc1p firmware
≤ 2.02
eaton
easy-e4-dc-12tcx1p firmware
≤ 2.02
eaton
easy-e4-dc-16te1p firmware
≤ 2.02
+12 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 4 hardening rules · 1 OS baseline
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

—

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-326

Maintaining currency with technologies and practices reduces selection of encryption mechanisms that provide inadequate strength.

addresses: CWE-326

Updated assessments identify when previously adequate encryption strength no longer meets current attack capabilities or compliance drivers.

addresses: CWE-326

Establishment procedures require selection and generation of keys with adequate length and strength for the chosen algorithm.

addresses: CWE-326

Specifies required cryptography types and parameters, preventing selection of inadequate encryption strength.

addresses: CWE-326

Prompt patching corrects inadequate encryption strength when vendors release updates that increase key sizes or algorithm security.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.DS-01 partial match
blocks

Proper cryptographic hashing for data-at-rest directly prevents trivial password encoding while the control addresses broader data protection needs.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

degrades

Requires secure handling and protection of authentication information, directly addressing weak password encoding.

blocks

Requires appropriate use of cryptography, indirectly discouraging weak encoding schemes.

prevents

Enforces secure coding practices that would reject trivial password encoding.

Hardening callouts derived

DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.

  • No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-326, a class-level weakness. Rules are authored against its narrower children: CWE-328.

References