CVE-2023-5222
Published: 27 September 2023
Summary
CVE-2023-5222 is a medium-severity Use of Hard-coded Password (CWE-259) vulnerability in Viessmann Vitogate 300 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 6.3 (Medium).
Operationally, ranked in the top 0.4% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis
CVE-2023-5222 is a hard-coded password vulnerability (CWE-259) in the isValidUser function within /cgi-bin/vitogate.cgi of the web management interface on Viessmann Vitogate 300 devices running firmware up to version 2.1.3.0. The flaw allows authentication bypass through static credentials embedded in the component, rated at CVSS 6.3 with an attack vector of adjacent network access.
An unauthenticated attacker on the same local network segment can exploit the issue to obtain limited read, write, and disruption capabilities against the device without user interaction. Public proof-of-concept code has been released that demonstrates direct use of the hard-coded password against the CGI endpoint.
Vendor advisories and patches are unavailable; the supplier was notified prior to disclosure but provided no response, leaving the referenced GitHub technical write-up and VulDB entries as the primary public sources of detail. The associated EPSS score remains elevated near 0.90 with no documented low-to-high trajectory after publication.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-57551
Vulnerability details
A vulnerability classified as critical was found in Viessmann Vitogate 300 up to 2.1.3.0. This vulnerability affects the function isValidUser of the file /cgi-bin/vitogate.cgi of the component Web Management Interface. The manipulation leads to use of hard-coded password. The exploit…
more
has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-240364. NOTE: The vendor was contacted early about this disclosure but did not respond in any way.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
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.
Changing default authenticators prior to first use directly prevents use of hard-coded passwords.
Shared threat data frequently highlights products or deployments still using hard-coded passwords, enabling remediation that directly blocks credential-based attacks.
Background checks and authorization requirements decrease the probability that a developer will hard-code passwords for later unauthorized access.
Reviews of supplier deliverables reduce the chance that hard-coded passwords are introduced into the system.