Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-28255

Exposed Creds in Trane Tracer Sc Firmware ≤ 4.4

Published
12 March 2026
Modified
27 March 2026
CVSS Score v4 8.2
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N/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 0.0029 21th percentile
Risk Priority 29 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-28255 is a high-severity Use of Hard-coded Credentials (CWE-798) vulnerability in Trane Tracer Sc Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 8.2 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Unsecured Credentials (T1552); ranked at the 21th 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.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2026-28255 is a Use of Hard-coded Credentials vulnerability (CWE-798) affecting Trane Tracer SC, Tracer SC+, and Tracer Concierge systems. Published on 2026-03-12, 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), indicating critical severity with high impacts across confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

The vulnerability enables remote exploitation over the network by unauthenticated attackers requiring no privileges or user interaction, with low attack complexity. Successful attacks could allow disclosure of sensitive information and takeover of accounts on affected systems.

CISA's ICS Advisory ICSA-26-071-01 provides details on this vulnerability; practitioners should consult it for recommended mitigations and patch information.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A Use of Hard-coded Credentials vulnerability in Trane Tracer SC, Tracer SC+, and Tracer Concierge could allow an attacker to disclose sensitive information and take over accounts.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1552 Unsecured Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may search compromised systems to find and obtain insecurely stored credentials.
T1552.001 Credentials In Files Credential Access
Adversaries may search local file systems and remote file shares for files containing insecurely stored credentials.
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.
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.
T1552.004 Private Keys Credential Access
Adversaries may search for private key certificate files on compromised systems for insecurely stored credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-28254Same product: Trane Tracer Concierge
CVE-2026-28253Same product: Trane Tracer Concierge
CVE-2026-28252Same product: Trane Tracer Concierge
CVE-2026-28256Same product: Trane Tracer Concierge
CVE-2024-27107Shared CWE-798
CVE-2024-8135Shared CWE-798
CVE-2023-40463Shared CWE-798
CVE-2026-48031Shared CWE-798
CVE-2024-57040Shared CWE-798
CVE-2025-34198Shared CWE-798

Affected Assets

trane
tracer sc firmware
4.4 · ≤ 4.4
trane
tracer sc\+ firmware
≤ 6.3.2310
trane
tracer concierge
≤ 6.3.2310

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

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

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

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.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.

prevents

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

mitigates

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

prevents

Explicit prohibition of hard-coded passwords and unauthenticated external services stops credentials from being embedded directly in source code.

prevents

Contractual requirements for secure coding practices and evidence of testing make it less likely that hard-coded credentials will be introduced or remain undetected in delivered code.

none

Requiring independent oversight and timely disabling of non-human identities makes it harder for hard-coded or long-lived credentials to remain exploitable.

none

Mandating immediate replacement of vendor-supplied default credentials eliminates the use of hard-coded or factory passwords that attackers can trivially obtain from documentation or firmware.

References