CVE-2026-16436 in GENESIS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/15/2026
Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password vulnerability in Mitsubishi Electric GENESIS versions 11.03 and prior, GENESIS64 versions 10.97.3 and prior, ICONICS Suite versions 10.97.3 and prior, Hyper Historian versions 10.97.3 and prior, AnalytiX versions 10.97.3 and prior, MobileHMI 10.97.3 and prior, IoTWorX 10.97.3 and prior, MC Works64 all versions, GENESIS32 all versions, BizViz all versions, Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions GENESIS versions 11.03 and prior, GENESIS64 versions 10.97.3 and prior, ICONICS Suite versions 10.97.3 and prior, Hyper Historian versions 10.97.3 and prior, AnalytiX versions 10.97.3 and prior, MobileHMI 10.97.3 and prior, IoTWorX 10.97.3 and prior, GENESIS32 all versions, and BizViz all versions allows a remote attacker to unlock the system by obtaining the challenge response by some means. The challenge response used to unlock the system is common to all users and fixed. As a result, the attacker may disclose, tamper with, destroy, or delete internal information, or cause the affected system to enter a denial-of-service (DoS) condition.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/15/2026
The vulnerability identified in Mitsubishi Electric GENESIS and related industrial control software platforms represents a critical failure in authentication logic, specifically within the password recovery mechanism for forgotten passwords. This flaw affects multiple versions of key SCADA and HMI products including GENESIS 11.03 and prior, GENESIS64 up to version 10.97.3, ICONICS Suite, Hyper Historian, AnalytiX, MobileHMI, IoTWorX, MC Works64, GENESIS32, BizViz, and various Digital Solutions variants. The core technical deficiency lies in the implementation of a static challenge-response mechanism designed to allow users to regain access when they forget their credentials. Instead of generating unique, time-sensitive, or user-specific tokens for each recovery request, the system utilizes a single hardcoded challenge response that is common across all user accounts and remains fixed regardless of which individual initiates the password reset process. This architectural decision fundamentally undermines the security model by treating identity verification as a public constant rather than a private secret known only to the legitimate account holder or administrator.
From an operational perspective, this weakness allows any remote attacker who can interact with the application's login interface to bypass authentication controls entirely. By obtaining or guessing the fixed challenge response, which may be discoverable through reverse engineering of the binary, network traffic analysis if transmitted in cleartext, or simply by exploiting the predictable nature of the algorithm, an adversary can unlock the system without possessing valid user credentials. This effectively neutralizes the primary defense mechanism against unauthorized access. The impact is severe because industrial control systems often manage critical infrastructure where availability and integrity are paramount. An attacker leveraging this flaw can gain full administrative privileges to disclose sensitive operational data, tamper with process parameters, destroy historical logs or configuration files, delete essential system components, or intentionally trigger a denial-of-service condition by corrupting the application state. Such actions could lead to significant physical consequences in industrial environments where software controls machinery and safety systems.
This vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-640 Improper Weakness Management for Password Recovery, as it involves a flawed implementation of password reset functionality that fails to ensure uniqueness or secrecy of recovery tokens. It also maps directly to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts, specifically the sub-technique of using default credentials or predictable secrets to gain initial access. In the context of industrial cybersecurity standards such as IEC 62443, this flaw violates requirements for secure system design and protection against unauthorized access, particularly regarding the need for strong authentication mechanisms that prevent credential-based attacks. The static nature of the challenge response indicates a lack of entropy and session management best practices, making it trivially exploitable by automated tools or even manual attackers with basic technical knowledge.
Mitigation strategies must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements. Mitsubishi Electric has released updates to fix this issue in newer versions of their software suite; therefore, the primary recommendation is to upgrade all affected systems to patched versions that implement dynamic, user-specific challenge-response mechanisms or multi-factor authentication for password recovery processes. Until upgrades can be performed, organizations should isolate these systems from untrusted networks and restrict access to the login interface through strict network segmentation and firewall rules. Additionally, implementing robust monitoring solutions to detect repeated failed login attempts or unusual patterns in password reset requests can help identify exploitation attempts early. Security teams must also enforce strong administrative passwords and consider disabling remote password recovery features if not strictly necessary for operational continuity, thereby reducing the attack surface available to potential adversaries targeting these critical industrial assets.