CVE-2026-73174 in EKI-1242EIMS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/17/2026
Nozomi Networks Labs identified a CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information vulnerability in the edgserver management protocol of Advantech EKI-1242EIMS in firmware version V1.06.01 that allows a network-adjacent passive observer to intercept management traffic and recover sensitive device identity and network metadata in cleartext.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2026
The vulnerability identified by Nozomi Networks Labs represents a critical failure in the security design of the edgserver management protocol utilized within Advantech EKI-1242EIMS industrial Ethernet switches running firmware version V1.06.01. This flaw is formally classified under CWE-319, which denotes the cleartext transmission of sensitive information over a network connection that lacks encryption or integrity protection mechanisms. In operational environments where such devices are deployed, management traffic often carries highly privileged credentials and configuration data necessary for device administration. The absence of cryptographic safeguards in this specific protocol version means that any data transmitted between the administrator client and the switch is exposed as readable text to anyone capable of monitoring network packets on the same segment or VLAN.
From a technical perspective, the edgserver management interface fails to implement secure transport layer protocols such as TLS or SSH for its administrative communications. Instead, it relies on unencrypted HTTP-like exchanges that transmit authentication tokens, configuration parameters, and device metadata without obfuscation. This architectural decision exposes sensitive operational intelligence including network topology maps, IP addressing schemes, MAC addresses of connected devices, and potentially administrator passwords in plaintext format. The vulnerability specifically affects passive observers who do not need to inject malicious traffic or exploit buffer overflows; they merely require the ability to sniff network packets using standard packet capture tools like Wireshark or tcpdump to extract this valuable information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant, particularly within industrial control systems and critical infrastructure environments where Advantech switches are commonly deployed. An attacker with local network access can perform passive reconnaissance to map the internal network structure without triggering intrusion detection alerts associated with active scanning techniques. By recovering sensitive device identity and network metadata in cleartext, an adversary gains a comprehensive understanding of the target environment which facilitates further attacks such as credential stuffing, session hijacking if cookies or tokens are reused, or targeted exploitation of other services running on connected devices. The exposure of administrative credentials allows for unauthorized configuration changes that could disrupt industrial processes, alter safety parameters, or create backdoors within the network infrastructure.
This vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1046 Network Service Discovery, as it enables an attacker to enumerate and understand the services running on the device without direct interaction. It also relates to T1539 Steal Web Session Cookie if session tokens are transmitted in cleartext, although the primary impact here is broader credential exposure. The lack of encryption violates fundamental security principles outlined in NIST SP 800-53 regarding transmission confidentiality and integrity requirements for information systems. To mitigate this risk, Advantech should release a firmware update that enforces encrypted management protocols such as HTTPS or SSH for all administrative access points. In the interim, network segmentation strategies should be employed to restrict management traffic to isolated VLANs accessible only by authorized administrators using secure endpoints. Additionally, implementing strict access control lists on switch ports can limit which devices are permitted to communicate with the edgserver interface, thereby reducing the attack surface available to passive observers.