CVE-2026-28252

Critical

Published: 12 March 2026

Published

12 March 2026

Modified

27 March 2026

KEV Added

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Patch

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CVSS Score 9.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Score 0.0003 8.8th percentile

Risk Priority 20 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Summary

CVE-2026-28252 is a critical-severity Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm (CWE-327) vulnerability in Trane Tracer Sc Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 8.8th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 IA-5 (Authenticator Management) and SC-13 (Cryptographic Protection).

Threat & Defense at a Glance

What attackers do: exploitation maps to Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068) and 1 other technique. What defenders deploy: see the NIST 800-53 controls recommended below.

Threat & Defense Details

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI

SC-13 Cryptographic Protection good match

prevent

Requires implementation of approved cryptographic mechanisms and modules, directly preventing the use of broken or risky cryptographic algorithms that enable authentication bypass.

IA-5 Authenticator Management good match

prevent

Mandates management of authenticators to ensure sufficient strength of mechanism, mitigating weak cryptographic authenticators vulnerable to bypass attacks.

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match

prevent

Requires timely identification, reporting, and correction of flaws like this broken cryptographic algorithm, preventing exploitation through patching and updates.

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation

Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.

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 →

Why these techniques?

Remote unauthenticated exploitation of broken crypto in auth controls on a network-exposed BMS device directly enables initial access via public-facing app exploitation (T1190) and immediate root privilege escalation (T1068).

Confidence: HIGH · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v18.1

NVD Description

A Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm vulnerability in Trane Tracer SC, Tracer SC+, and Tracer Concierge could allow an attacker to bypass authentication and gain root-level access to the device.

Deeper analysisAI

CVE-2026-28252 is a Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm vulnerability (CWE-327) in Trane Tracer SC, Tracer SC+, and Tracer Concierge building management systems. Published on 2026-03-12T18:16:23.190, it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). The issue stems from flawed cryptographic practices that undermine authentication controls.

Any unauthenticated attacker with network access to the affected device can exploit this vulnerability due to its low attack complexity and lack of prerequisites like privileges or user interaction. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to bypass authentication entirely and gain root-level access, enabling full control over the device with high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

The CISA ICS Advisory ICSA-26-071-01 provides details on mitigation strategies and patches; refer to https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-26-071-01 for official guidance.