Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:LSummary
CVE-2026-4404 is a critical-severity Use of Hard-coded Credentials (CWE-798) vulnerability in Linuxfoundation Harbor. Its CVSS base score is 9.4 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Default Accounts (T1078.001); ranked at the 40th 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 CM-6 (Configuration Settings) and IA-5 (Authenticator 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-2026-4404 involves the use of hard-coded credentials in GoHarbor Harbor versions 2.15.0 and below, enabling attackers to authenticate to the web UI using the default password. This flaw corresponds to CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials) and CWE-1393 (Use of Default Credentials), with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.4 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L). The vulnerability was published on 2026-03-23.
Remote attackers require only network access, with no privileges, user interaction, or elevated complexity to exploit it. Successful exploitation provides high confidentiality and integrity impacts alongside low availability impact, allowing unauthorized access to the Harbor web UI, including default administrator privileges via credentials such as admin/Harbor12345.
Mitigation guidance from Harbor documentation emphasizes modifying default credentials in harbor.yml during installation. GitHub issue #1937 documents the problem, while pull request #22751 provides a patch. The CERT advisory VU#577436 and CWE definitions offer additional technical details on remediation.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-14455
Vulnerability Data
Use of hard coded credentials in GoHarbor Harbor version 2.15.0 and below, allows attackers to use the default password and gain access to the web UI.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Authenticator management requires verification of identity at initial distribution and secure handling that directly stops default passwords from remaining in use.
Configuration settings establish the most restrictive secure baselines, which include changing or disabling default passwords.
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.
Credential management directly requires replacing default passwords with unique, strong credentials.
Hardened configuration baselines explicitly prohibit default passwords, covering most of the weakness but not all identity-management aspects.
Vulnerability scanning will discover default-password instances, enabling remediation, yet does not itself prevent their initial use.
Authentication policies can enforce non-default passwords but do not address the full scope of credential lifecycle.
Authorization policies assume credentials already exist and are not default; least-privilege helps limit impact but does not prevent defaults.
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.
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.
Mandates secure handling and change of authentication secrets, directly addressing default passwords.
Configuration management processes typically enforce changing defaults during hardening.
Education on secure configuration practices discourages technical staff from embedding or relying on hard-coded credentials in systems and applications.
Secure key-generation, distribution and storage procedures reduce the likelihood that hard-coded or default cryptographic keys will be introduced or left unprotected.
Explicit prohibition of hard-coded passwords and unauthenticated external services stops credentials from being embedded directly in source code.
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.