Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessAuthenticate to PRTG as non-read-only user
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DeliveryCreate demo VBScript EXE/Script sensor
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ExploitPass %windowspassword as a parameter
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Executioncscript.exe throws 'Type mismatch' error
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ImpactRead plaintext Windows/domain password from sensor error output
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A10:2025 - Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Error message sanitization
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Discovery The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires an authenticated PRTG account that is NOT restricted to read-only and is permitted to create sensors (the default for non-read-only users), plus availability of the demo EXE/Script (VBScript) sensor type that performs integer multiplication via cscript.exe. The attacker must know or use the documented %windowspassword placeholder as a sensor parameter, and a Windows/domain credential must actually be configured in PRTG for a value to leak. Limiting factors: exploitation is gated by that authenticated non-read-only privilege (PR:L) and can be mitigated by removing sensor-creation rights or the demo sensor; no unauthenticated or default-credential path is described, and there is no integrity or availability impact. |
| Impact | This is a genuine but bounded credential-disclosure issue rather than a top-tier priority. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N, 7.1) is internally consistent with the description: network-reachable web UI, low attack complexity, requires an authenticated non-read-only account (PR:L), no user interaction, and high confidentiality impact with no integrity or availability effect. The severity driver is that the leaked value is the configured Windows/domain password PRTG uses for its own monitoring - a credential that typically grants meaningful lateral movement, so VC:H is warranted despite CWE-209 being 'just' an error-message leak. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit code are present in the supplied data, so there is no evidence of active or automated exploitation; the SSVC-style read is exploitation=none, automatable=no (an authenticated create-sensor privilege is required per attempt), technical impact=partial. The realistic exposure is an insider or a foothold-holding attacker who already has a PRTG account escalating to the underlying Windows/domain credential. Note the one caveat: exploitation depends on the demo EXE/Script (VBScript) sensor being available and the account holding sensor-create rights (the default for non-read-only users) - both are default conditions but can be removed by hardening. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An authenticated PRTG user who is not restricted to read-only (the default privilege level) creates or edits a demo EXE/Script VBScript sensor and supplies the documented placeholder %windowspassword as one of the two multiplication parameters. cscript.exe raises a 'Type mismatch' runtime error because the resolved password is non-numeric, and PRTG renders that error - including the plaintext Windows/domain password - in the sensor's error output. No public exploit code is identified in the supplied data, but the technique is fully described in the vendor/researcher advisory. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 24, 2026
Credential disclosure in PRTG Network Monitor before 26.2.120.1449 allows an authenticated user who is not restricted to read-only access to expose the configured Windows or domain password through sensor error output. The flaw is in a demo VBScript EXE/Script sensor that multiplies two integer parameters; when a non-numeric value is supplied, cscript.exe returns a Type mismatch error that echoes the supplied value, and the documented %windowspassword placeholder resolves to the stored credential. No public exploit identified at time of analysis; the vendor has released a patch in version 26.2.120.1449.
RemediationAI
Upgrade to PRTG Network Monitor 26.2.120.1449 or later, available from Paessler’s download page at https://www.paessler.com/de/download/; this is the vendor-released patch and should be treated as the primary fix. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict sensor-creation privileges so that only trusted administrators can create or modify sensors, noting that this may impede normal monitoring workflows for non-read-only users. Remove or disable the demo EXE/Script sensor if it is not required, accepting that any legitimate demo functionality will be unavailable. Avoid passing %windowspassword or other credential placeholders into custom sensor parameters, and review sensor error outputs for exposed secrets. Ensure the Windows/domain account configured for PRTG uses least privilege and a unique password so that any disclosure has limited blast radius. Vendor and researcher advisories are at https://paessler.freshdesk.com/en/support/solutions/articles/76000088640 and https://r.sec-consult.com/paessler.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The affected component is a demo EXE/Script sensor shipped with PRTG Network Monitor. It uses a VBScript executed by cscript.exe to multiply two integer parameters. Passing a non-integer value triggers a runtime Type mismatch error that includes the offending parameter in plaintext. PRTG’s documented placeholder %windowspassword resolves to the Windows or domain password configured for PRTG’s monitoring service; a user permitted to create sensors can pass this placeholder as an argument, causing the resolved credential to appear in the sensor error output. This is CWE-209 (Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information). The CPE cpe:2.3:a:paessler_gmbh:prtg_network_monitor:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers affected versions. The independent assessment gives CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N, reflecting network reachability, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high confidentiality impact with no integrity or availability impact. The vulnerability requires an authenticated PRTG account that is not read-only and can create sensors, plus a configured Windows/domain credential; it is bounded and does not provide code execution or persistence.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Network-facing PRTG UI with low-privilege authenticated account (PR:L) able to create sensors by default; full plaintext Windows/domain password disclosed (C:H), no integrity or availability impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (SEC-VLab).
CVSS VectorVendor: SEC-VLab
DescriptionCVE.org
PRTG Network Monitor before version 26.2.120.1449 ships a demo EXE/Script sensor that multiplies two integer parameters using cscript.exe. If a non-numeric value is passed instead, cscript.exe raises a 'Type mismatch' runtime error that includes the offending parameter value in plaintext. PRTG provides a documented placeholder variable, %windowspassword, which resolves to the configured Windows/domain password used by PRTG and can be passed as a sensor parameter.
Any PRTG user who is not restricted to read-only access and is permitted to create sensors (the default for non-read-only users) can pass %windowspassword as an argument to the demo VBScript sensor, triggering the type-mismatch error and causing PRTG to display the plaintext password in the sensor's error output.
Executive ViewAI
PRTG Network Monitor versions below 26.2.120.1449 can expose stored Windows or domain credentials to users with more than read-only access, turning monitoring configuration into a potential pathway for broader network compromise. Because those credentials may carry elevated privileges, a disclosure could enable lateral movement and unauthorized access to other systems, making remediation a high-priority access-control issue for security leadership. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and the vendor has released a patch.
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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
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
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EUVD-2026-85847
GHSA-gh9q-9rjg-9rq2
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB