Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-33072

Exposed Creds in Filerise ≤ 3.9.0

Public PoCExposed Creds
Published
20 March 2026
Modified
23 March 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.2
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0022 13th percentile
Risk Priority 60 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-33072 is a high-severity Use of Hard-coded Credentials (CWE-798) vulnerability in Filerise Filerise. Its CVSS base score is 8.2 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Default Accounts (T1078.001); ranked at the 13th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to CM-2 (Baseline Configuration) and CM-6 (Configuration Settings) — 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-2026-33072 affects FileRise, a self-hosted web file manager and WebDAV server, in versions prior to 3.9.0. The vulnerability stems from a hardcoded default encryption key named "default_please_change_this_key," which is used for all cryptographic operations including HMAC token generation, AES encryption of configuration data, and session tokens. This key, set via the PERSISTENT_TOKENS_KEY environment variable and hardcoded in two locations, is employed unless explicitly overridden by the deployer. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.2 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N) and is associated with CWEs-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials) and CWE-1188 (Insecure Default Initialization of Resource).

Unauthenticated attackers can exploit this over the network with low complexity and no user interaction. By knowing the default key, they can forge upload tokens to perform arbitrary file uploads to shared folders and decrypt sensitive admin configuration secrets, such as OIDC client secrets and SMTP passwords.

The issue is fixed in FileRise version 3.9.0, as detailed in the project's GitHub release notes and security advisory (GHSA-f4xx-57cv-mg3x). Deployers must override the PERSISTENT_TOKENS_KEY environment variable with a unique, strong value to mitigate the risk in affected versions.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

FileRise is a self-hosted web file manager / WebDAV server. In versions prior to 3.9.0, a hardcoded default encryption key (default_please_change_this_key) is used for all cryptographic operations — HMAC token generation, AES config encryption, and session tokens — allowing any…

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unauthenticated attacker to forge upload tokens for arbitrary file upload to shared folders, and to decrypt admin configuration secrets including OIDC client secrets and SMTP passwords. FileRise uses a single key (PERSISTENT_TOKENS_KEY) for all crypto operations. The default value default_please_change_this_key is hardcoded in two places and used unless the deployer explicitly overrides the environment variable. This issue is fixed in version 3.9.0.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

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 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.
T1552.004 Private Keys Credential Access
Adversaries may search for private key certificate files on compromised systems for insecurely stored credentials.
T1133 External Remote Services Persistence
Adversaries may leverage external-facing remote services to initially access and/or persist within a network.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-33070Same product: Filerise Filerise
CVE-2026-33071Same product: Filerise Filerise
CVE-2026-25231Same product: Filerise Filerise
CVE-2026-33329Same product: Filerise Filerise
CVE-2025-66403Same product: Filerise Filerise
CVE-2025-68116Same product: Filerise Filerise
CVE-2025-62509Same product: Filerise Filerise
CVE-2025-62510Same product: Filerise Filerise
CVE-2026-25230Same product: Filerise Filerise
CVE-2026-33477Same product: Filerise Filerise

Affected Assets

filerise
filerise
≤ 3.9.0

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 13 hardening rules · 7 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V14.3.2
  • V6.3.2
  • V11.3.1
  • V13.2.3

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Baseline configuration directly requires documenting and maintaining secure initial settings instead of insecure defaults.

Configuration settings mandate the most restrictive values be applied at initialization, eliminating reliance on insecure factory defaults.

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.

Least privilege reduces the blast radius of any insecure default permissions that remain after initialization.

Security engineering principles include explicit requirements for secure defaults during resource initialization and design.

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-01 full match
prevents

Hardened baselines and configuration management directly replace insecure defaults with secure settings.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure development practices include designing products with secure defaults rather than insecure ones.

ID.RA-09 partial match
prevents

Pre-acquisition integrity checks can reject products known to ship with insecure defaults.

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

Mandating secure baseline templates and immediate replacement of vendor defaults directly stops systems from being deployed with insecure factory settings that attackers can exploit.

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.

prevents

Requiring documented specification, testing, and acceptance of changes ensures that new or modified components are not initialized with insecure default settings that would otherwise be left in production.

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` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
  • V-248823 OL 8 must not have the telnet-server package installed. prevents 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. prevents 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. prevents 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. prevents CWE-1188
Windows Server 2016 (1 rule)
  • V-224972 Active Directory Group Policy objects must have proper access control permissions. prevents CWE-1188
Windows Server 2019 (1 rule)
  • V-205741 Windows Server 2019 Active Directory Group Policy objects must have proper access control permissions. prevents CWE-1188

References