Cyber Resilience

CVE-2024-51551

Exposed Creds in Abb Aspect-Ent-2 Firmware ≤ 3.07.02

Exposed Creds
Published
05 December 2024
Modified
27 February 2025
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v4 9.3
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:L/SI:L/SA:L/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
EPSS Score 0.0045 37th percentile
Risk Priority 46 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2024-51551 is a critical-severity Improper Validation of Specified Type of Input (CWE-1287) vulnerability in Abb Aspect-Ent-2 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 9.3 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Unsecured Credentials (T1552); ranked at the 37th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to IA-5 (Authenticator Management) and SC-12 (Cryptographic Key Establishment and Management) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A07:2025 Authentication Failures

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Default Credentail vulnerabilities in ASPECT on Linux allows access to the product using publicly available default credentials.  Affected products: ABB ASPECT - Enterprise v3.07.02; NEXUS Series v3.07.02; MATRIX Series v3.07.02

CWE(s)
CWE-1287CWE-798

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1552 Unsecured Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may search compromised systems to find and obtain insecurely stored credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
T1552.001 Credentials In Files Credential Access
Adversaries may search local file systems and remote file shares for files containing insecurely stored credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
attack.mitre.org →
T1078 Valid Accounts Stealth
Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of existing accounts as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion.
attack.mitre.org →
T1078.001 Default Accounts Stealth
Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of a default account as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-6298Same product: Abb Aspect-Ent-12
CVE-2024-51550Same product: Abb Aspect-Ent-12
CVE-2024-51547Same product: Abb Aspect-Ent-12
CVE-2024-51546Same product: Abb Aspect-Ent-12
CVE-2024-51554Same product: Abb Aspect-Ent-12
CVE-2023-0635Same product: Abb Aspect-Ent-12
CVE-2024-51545Same product: Abb Aspect-Ent-12
CVE-2023-0636Same product: Abb Aspect-Ent-12
CVE-2024-48840Same product: Abb Aspect-Ent-12
CVE-2024-48839Same product: Abb Aspect-Ent-12

Affected Assets

abb
aspect-ent-2 firmware
≤ 3.07.02
abb
aspect-ent-256 firmware
≤ 3.07.02
abb
aspect-ent-96 firmware
≤ 3.07.02
abb
nexus-2128 firmware
≤ 3.07.02
abb
nexus-2128-a firmware
≤ 3.07.02
abb
nexus-2128-g firmware
≤ 3.07.02
abb
nexus-264 firmware
≤ 3.07.02
abb
nexus-264-a firmware
≤ 3.07.02
abb
nexus-264-f firmware
≤ 3.07.02
abb
nexus-264-g firmware
≤ 3.07.02
+9 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)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.1.1
  • V1.4.2
  • V2.1.1
  • V2.2.2

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

IA-5 Authenticator Management good match

Authenticator management requires secure distribution and handling of credentials, structurally discouraging hard-coded values.

SC-12 Cryptographic Key Establishment and Management good match

Cryptographic key management mandates proper establishment and handling instead of embedding keys in code.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

SI-10 directly requires validation of information inputs, which structurally prevents type-validation failures from being introduced or exploitable.

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.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require proper input type validation during development.

PR.AA-01 partial match
prevents

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.

PR.AA-02 none match
prevents

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 none match
prevents

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.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing can detect type-validation flaws but does not prevent them during development.

A.6.3 Information security awareness, education and training partial match
prevents

Education on secure configuration practices discourages technical staff from embedding or relying on hard-coded credentials in systems and applications.

A.8.24 Use of cryptography partial match
mitigates

Secure key-generation, distribution and storage procedures reduce the likelihood that hard-coded or default cryptographic keys will be introduced or left unprotected.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development lifecycle mandates input validation and type checking to prevent improper type handling.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements explicitly include validation of input data types and formats.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture principles promote defensive input handling and type enforcement at system boundaries.

References