Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain local low-privileged foothold on MV-90 host
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DeliveryRead application config file
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ExploitExtract stored password blobs and histories
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ExecutionDecode recoverable credentials offline
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PersistAuthenticate to MV-90 application as any/admin user
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ImpactAccess and manipulate metering data
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A04:2025 - Cryptographic Failures
ASVS 5.0
V11 - Cryptography Irreversible password storage
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| Exploitation Conditions | Requires local access to the host running Itron MV-90 xi 3.0 and the ability to read the application's configuration file - the CVSS vector is AV:L with PR:L, so a low-privileged local/authenticated account (or equivalent filesystem read access) is needed; there is no remote or unauthenticated path. Once the config file is obtained, no user interaction is required and the stored passwords and password histories can be decoded because they are kept in a recoverable format, yielding login as any application user. The limiting factors are the local vector and the need for prior access to the config file, making this an escalation/lateral-movement primitive rather than an initial-access flaw. |
| Impact | This is a credential-storage weakness (CWE-257) in Itron MV-90 xi, utility meter-data-collection software: passwords and password histories are stored in a recoverable/decodable form in the application config file, letting anyone who can read that file recover credentials and log in as any user, including privileged accounts. The vendor CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N) is local and low-privilege, and SSVC confirms this is not an urgent internet-facing threat: Exploitation=none (no observed exploitation), Automatable=no, Technical Impact=partial. The E:P flag in the vector plus the Palo Alto Unit 42 disclosure indicate proof-of-concept/exploit maturity exists, but there is no KEV listing and no EPSS score provided, consistent with a targeted, insider- or foothold-dependent issue rather than mass exploitation. Note a tension in the impact metrics: the vendor scored the vulnerable system as low impact (VC:L/VI:N/VA:L) yet marked full subsequent-system impact (SC:H/SI:H/SA:H) and the description says an attacker gains access 'as any user' - recovering all users' credentials is effectively full application account takeover, which I assess as higher confidentiality/integrity impact than the vendor's headline 5.3 suggests. The real limiting factor is the local, authenticated prerequisite (must already read the config file), so this is a privilege-escalation/lateral-movement enabler for an attacker who already has a foothold, not a remote entry point. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who already has a low-privileged account or filesystem access on the host running MV-90 xi 3.0 reads the application config file, extracts the stored (recoverable) password blobs and password histories, and decodes them offline. They then authenticate to the MV-90 application as any user - including administrators - to view or manipulate metering data. Palo Alto Unit 42 has published a disclosure (PANW-2026-0002) and the CVSS vector's E:P marking indicates proof-of-concept maturity, though no active exploitation is reported. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 30, 2026
Decodable credential storage in Itron MV-90 xi 3.0 lets an attacker who can read the product's configuration file recover stored passwords and password histories and then log in to MV-90 as any user, including privileged accounts. The attack is local, not remote: the assessed vector (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N) requires prior access to the host and a low-privileged account or equivalent filesystem read permission on the config file, after which no user interaction is needed, making this a privilege-escalation and lateral-movement primitive rather than an initial-access flaw. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis (CISA SSVC records Exploitation: none), and the cross-vendor assessment rates technical impact as partial, so exploitation is opportunistic and contingent on the attacker already having a foothold with file-read access.
RemediationAI
No vendor-released patch was identified at time of analysis, so remediation must begin with compensating controls while an Itron fix is pursued. Immediately restrict filesystem permissions on the MV-90 xi configuration file so that only the service account running the application can read it (replace inherited or world/group-readable ACLs on the application directory), and verify that backup, indexing, and monitoring processes do not capture the file; the trade-off is that over-tightening can break the service account's own read path, so test ACL changes against application startup and scheduled jobs before rollout. Because password histories are also stored in recoverable form, rotation alone is insufficient: assume every credential that has ever been recorded - including historical and service accounts - is compromised, change all of them, clear the stored history, and avoid reusing any exposed secret. Add file-integrity monitoring and access auditing on the config file to detect reads by unexpected principals, keep the MV-90 host on a segmented management network with no inbound access from general user subnets, and use host-based detection to flag credential-file harvesting. Track the Unit 42 disclosure at https://github.com/PaloAltoNetworks/u42-vulnerability-disclosures/commits/main/2026/PANW-2026-0002/PANW-2026-0002.md and contact Itron for a fixed release or guidance on migrating credential storage to a properly hashed or externalized secret store; deploy the patched version as soon as it is published.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The weakness is CWE-257, storage of passwords in a recoverable format: Itron MV-90 xi, utility meter-data-collection and meter-reading software, writes application credentials and previous password values into its configuration file using an encoding that can be reversed rather than a salted, one-way hash with a work factor. Because the scheme is reversible and no key material is held outside the accessible file, an attacker with read access simply decodes the contents to obtain plaintext-equivalent credentials. The retention of password histories compounds the problem: previously used secrets remain recoverable, so a single exposure leaks a credential set that survives ordinary password rotation cycles. The affected product is identified by CPE cpe:2.3:a:itron:mv-90_xi:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* (wildcard version), with the public description naming version 3.0; the disclosure originates from Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 under advisory PANW-2026-0002. The supplied CVSS 4.0 vector carries an E:P (Proof-of-Concept) exploit-maturity metric while CISA's SSVC decision framework assesses exploitation as 'none'; these are not in conflict with active-exploitation status, and no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation or public exploit code was identified at time of analysis.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:L/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:P
Local config-file read by a low-privileged account (AV:L/PR:L); recovering all users' credentials enables takeover of other application accounts (S:C, C:H/I:H); no direct availability impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (palo_alto).
CVSS VectorVendor: palo_alto
DescriptionCVE.org
Improperly stored passwords in the config file in Itron MV-90 xi 3.0 allows attackers to decode the passwords and password histories to gain access to the MV-90 application as any user.
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.
EUVD-2026-90362
GHSA-22wc-9fhg-h2qm
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB