CVE-2026-20791 in Chargemap
Summary
by MITRE • 02/27/2026
Charging station authentication identifiers are publicly accessible via web-based mapping platforms.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/05/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in electric vehicle charging infrastructure where authentication identifiers used by charging stations are exposed through web-based mapping platforms. The issue stems from improper configuration and lack of access controls on mapping platform APIs that aggregate and display charging station data, including sensitive authentication tokens and identifiers. These platforms typically collect data from various sources including charging network operators, third-party aggregators, and public databases to provide location-based services. The vulnerability allows threat actors to extract authentication credentials that should remain private and protected, potentially enabling unauthorized access to charging station networks and control systems.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves web mapping services that expose internal authentication mechanisms through their APIs and data feeds. Charging station operators often integrate with mapping platforms to provide location services for their networks, but fail to properly sanitize or restrict access to sensitive authentication identifiers during data ingestion and display processes. These identifiers typically include API keys, session tokens, and authentication credentials that are intended to be used internally by charging station management systems. When exposed through mapping platforms, these identifiers can be harvested by automated scraping tools and used to impersonate legitimate charging station systems or gain unauthorized access to backend management interfaces.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential exposure to encompass potential disruption of charging services, unauthorized access to network management systems, and compromise of charging station operational integrity. Attackers who obtain these authentication identifiers can potentially perform unauthorized charging sessions, manipulate charging station configurations, or even disable charging services entirely. The exposure creates opportunities for financial fraud through unauthorized charging activities, and may enable attackers to gain persistent access to charging infrastructure that could be used for further reconnaissance or lateral movement within connected networks. This vulnerability directly impacts the security posture of electric vehicle infrastructure and could compromise the trust model between charging station operators and their users.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper access controls and data sanitization practices for all web-based mapping platform integrations. Charging station operators must ensure that authentication identifiers are never exposed through public APIs or mapping services, and that all sensitive data is properly obfuscated or removed from publicly accessible data feeds. Network segmentation and API key rotation should be implemented to limit the scope of potential compromise. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments of their mapping platform integrations and implement monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized access attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery) categories, and represents a significant risk under ATT&CK technique T1566 (Phishing for Information) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS). The remediation approach should include comprehensive security configuration reviews, implementation of proper data classification policies, and regular penetration testing of public-facing APIs and integrations.