CVE-2023-6448
Exposed Creds in Unitronics Vision1210 Firmware ≤ 12.38
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-6448 is a critical-severity Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default (CWE-1188) vulnerability in Unitronics Vision1210 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Credentials In Files (T1552.001); ranked in the top 19% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
Unitronics VisiLogic versions prior to 9.9.00, which are used to program Vision and Samba PLCs and HMIs, contain a hardcoded default administrative password. The flaw is tracked as CVE-2023-6448 with a CVSS score of 9.8 and is associated with CWE-1188 and CWE-798. It allows unauthenticated network access to the devices without requiring any user interaction.
An attacker with network reachability can authenticate as an administrator and obtain full control over the PLC or HMI, enabling arbitrary configuration changes, logic modification, or operational disruption. No prior authentication or user interaction is needed, making the exposure remotely exploitable over the network.
Vendor guidance and the associated CISA alert recommend upgrading VisiLogic to version 9.9.00 or later, changing any default credentials, and restricting network exposure of the affected devices. Unitronics has also published updated version-change documentation and a dedicated cybersecurity advisory outlining these steps.
CISA has specifically highlighted active exploitation of Unitronics PLCs in water and wastewater systems, underscoring the risk to industrial control environments. The CVE maintains an EPSS score of 0.13 with a recorded peak of 0.15.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-58685
Vulnerability Data
Unitronics VisiLogic before version 9.9.00, used in Vision and Samba PLCs and HMIs, uses a default administrative password. An unauthenticated attacker with network access can take administrative control of a vulnerable system.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 11 December 2023
Related Threats
Threat-Actor AttributionAI
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 11 hardening rules · 6 OS baselines
V14.3.2V6.3.2V11.3.1V13.2.3
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.
Central credential stores and rotation policies remove the need for hard-coded credentials in configuration files or code.
Strategy enforces supplier requirements and code reviews that reduce hard-coded credentials introduced through acquired products.
Requiring security functional requirements and acceptance criteria allows contracts to prohibit hard-coded credentials in delivered systems or components.
Known vulnerabilities section of admin docs covers hard-coded credentials and how to replace them, limiting their use in deployments.
Enables users to notice when hard-coded credentials have been exploited for unauthorized access.
Security training explicitly warns against hard-coded credentials, lowering their use in systems.
Requires documented secure initialization practices and avoidance of insecure defaults in configuration baselines.
Reviewing and updating baseline when components are installed or upgraded prevents initialization with insecure defaults.
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.
Pre-acquisition integrity checks can reject products known to ship with insecure defaults.
PR.AA-01's credential/key-management processes can reduce the incentive to embed secrets but do not address or detect hard-coded values in source code, so the weakness remains fully possible.
Hardened baselines and configuration management directly replace insecure defaults with secure settings.
Secure development practices include designing products with secure defaults rather than insecure ones.
PR.AA-02 addresses human identity proofing and per-person credential issuance at enrollment; it has no bearing on whether developers embed static credentials in software.
PR.DS-01 addresses encryption and integrity of stored data but never touches credential or key management practices, so it neither prevents hard-coded credentials nor removes any of their risk.
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.
Education on secure configuration practices discourages technical staff from embedding or relying on hard-coded credentials in systems and applications.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (higher-evidence rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
- V-248823 OL 8 must not have the telnet-server package installed. blocks CWE-1188
RHEL 7 (1 rule)
- V-204627 SNMP community strings on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be changed from the default. blocks CWE-1188
Ubuntu 22.04 (1 rule)
- V-260529 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS must be configured so that remote X connections are disabled, unless to fulfill documented and validated mission requirements. blocks CWE-1188
Ubuntu 24.04 (1 rule)
- V-270708 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS must be configured so that remote X connections are disabled, unless to fulfill documented and validated mission requirements. blocks CWE-1188
Windows Server 2016 (1 rule)
- V-224972 Active Directory Group Policy objects must have proper access control permissions. blocks CWE-1188
Windows Server 2019 (1 rule)
- V-205741 Windows Server 2019 Active Directory Group Policy objects must have proper access control permissions. blocks CWE-1188