Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconEstablish foothold on camera VLAN
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DeliveryScan for FTP port 21 on recorders
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ExploitAuthenticate with hard-coded ftpd credentials
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InstallAttain root-level FTP session
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C2Read/write device filesystem
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ExecuteDelete or alter recorded video
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ImpactPersistent compromise of NVR
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Credential externalization
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Persistence, Credential Access The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires that the ftpd service be enabled and reachable on the recorder (it is the same service that provides remote FTP file access), and that the attacker have network adjacency to the device-the CVSS 4.0 vector is AV:A, so L2/L3 reachability to the FTP port on the camera/NVR VLAN, a shared management network, or a wireless segment bridged into that VLAN is sufficient; there is no internet-facing requirement unless a deployment has forwarded port 21 to the recorder. No authentication of any kind is needed beyond supplying the embedded static credentials (PR:N, UI:N), and complexity is low (AC:L, AT:N) because the credentials are fixed across units. Limiting factors: the attacker must already be positioned on the adjacent network, so segmentation into an isolated camera VLAN blocks the path entirely; exploitation is not possible from outside the local broadcast/routed segment without an existing foothold or an exposed FTP port; and if FTP has been disabled or the port is filtered, the vulnerability is not reachable even though the hard-coded credentials remain in firmware. |
| Impact | The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:A/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N, VC:H/VI:H/VA:H) describes a low-complexity, unauthenticated attack from the adjacent network with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the device itself, and the No-Privileges/no-Interaction combination means no phishing or valid account is needed-only L2/L3 reachability to the recorder, which is common on flat camera or building-management VLANs. That is a genuinely serious profile for a physical-security appliance, and even a mid-sized municipal IT team in radom should treat this as urgent if their recorders share a segment with guest Wi-Fi, workstations, or vendor laptops. Counter-signals temper the urgency: no CISA KEV listing and no public exploit code were identified, and the adjacent (AV:A) attack vector means this is not remotely exploitable across the internet unless the FTP port is exposed or the attacker already has a foothold on the internal network. EPSS data was not supplied with this record, so exploitation likelihood cannot be quantified-this gap should be treated as unknown rather than low. The arithmetic score of 8.7 is well supported by the vector, but the practical priority is driven by network segmentation posture: on a properly isolated camera VLAN the real risk is low-to-moderate; on a flat network it is close to critical because root file access enables tampering with evidence and persistent device compromise. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with a foothold on the same network segment-for example a compromised workstation or a rogue device on the camera VLAN-scans for recorders and connects to the FTP service on an affected VMAX NVR, logging in with the hard-coded credentials. The ftpd session runs as root, so the attacker can list, download, overwrite, or delete recorded video files and modify configuration or startup files on the appliance. Because the credentials are static and unauthenticated FTP is used, the same technique works against every affected unit the attacker can reach, enabling evidence tampering or mass device compromise. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 15, 2026
Hard-coded credentials in the FTP daemon (ftpd) shipped with multiple Digital Watchdog video recorders and NVRs-including VG4 Recorder, VMAX IP G4 NVR, VMAX A1 PLUS, VA1G4 Recorder, and VMAX A1 G4 DVR-let anyone who can reach the FTP service log in and operate the daemon as root. Because the ftpd runs as root, a successful login grants remote read and write access to the device filesystem, allowing an attacker to tamper with recorded surveillance video, alter device configuration, or use the box as a foothold on the camera VLAN. The flaw is rated 8.7 (CVSS 4.0, adjacent network, no privileges or interaction required), giving it a wide attack surface on flat camera networks. No public exploit code or CISA KEV entry was identified at time of analysis, so exploitation would currently require an attacker already positioned on the adjacent network segment.
RemediationAI
No vendor-released patch version is identified in the available data, so the immediate action is containment rather than upgrade: disable the FTP/ftpd service on every affected recorder and NVR through the device administration interface, and block TCP port 21 (and any non-standard FTP control/data ports the device exposes) at the VLAN boundary and on the host firewall. Side effect: remote file export and some central-management/media-retrieval workflows that rely on FTP will stop working, so validate which functions depend on it before disabling, and move to SMB/HTTPS export or local USB extraction if supported. Second, segment recorders onto a dedicated camera VLAN that no workstation, guest network, or wireless client can reach-this neutralizes the AV:A attack vector entirely and is the highest-value compensating control given the root-level impact. Third, change any device-wide administrative and service passwords and audit for unauthorized accounts or modified recordings, since root file access permits tampering. Monitor vendor firmware announcements at https://digital-watchdog.com/downloads/ and consult CISA advisory ICSA-26-258-01 (https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-26-258-01) for an updated fixed firmware release; apply it as soon as it is published.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The root cause is CWE-798, use of hard-coded credentials: the firmware embeds a fixed username/password pair for the FTP service, and those credentials are identical across devices and cannot be changed through normal administration. The affected products are embedded Linux NVR/DVR appliances (CPE-identified via the EUVD affected list: VG4 Recorder, VMAX IP G4 NVR, VMAX A1 PLUS, VA1G4 Recorder, VMAX A1 G4 DVR) that expose an FTP daemon as part of their remote media/file access feature set. Crucially, the vendor's ftpd implementation runs with root privileges, so authentication as the embedded account translates directly into full filesystem access rather than a sandboxed or read-only media directory. FTP itself is a cleartext protocol, meaning the hard-coded credentials can also be sniffed from the wire by anyone on the same segment, compounding the design weakness. This is a design-level authentication bypass rather than a memory-safety or injection flaw; there is no parsing bug to patch around-the credential material must be removed, made unique per device, or the service disabled.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Attack arrives over the adjacent network via a reachable FTP service with static credentials, so PR:N and AC:L; root file access yields full C/I/A.
Primary rating from Vendor (hq).
CVSS VectorVendor: hq
DescriptionCVE.org
The affected products use hard-coded credentials, which could allow an attacker to run the ftpd service as root, providing remote root file access where FTP is reachable.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
EUVD-2026-79950
GHSA-vrh9-rxg2-c33f
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Exploit-DB