PowerchuteApplication · Apc

CVE-2000-1242

HIGH · 9.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2000-12-31
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
96/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The HTTP service in American Power Conversion (APC) PowerChute uses a default username and password, which allows remote attackers to gain system access.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

The HTTP service in APC PowerChute (network management software for Uninterruptible Power Supplies) contains hardcoded default credentials. An unauthenticated remote attacker can use these known default credentials to access the administrative web interface and gain full system control of the affected device.

MitigationImmediately change the default credentials to strong, unique passwords and disable remote HTTP access if not required. If the HTTP interface is needed, restrict access via firewall rules or VPN to prevent external exploitation.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
PowerchuteApplication
Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
Single
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if APC PowerChute is installed
    Check system for APC PowerChute network management software - look for the application in installed programs, running services, or listening on common HTTP ports (typically port 80 or 8080)
    Affected if APC PowerChute HTTP service is installed and running on the system
  2. Verify HTTP administrative interface is enabled
    Confirm the PowerChute web management interface is active - check for an HTTP service listening on the network
    Affected if The HTTP administrative interface is enabled and accessible
  3. Check if default credentials remain unchanged
    Attempt to access the PowerChute web interface using known default credentials (research public documentation for APC default usernames/passwords if needed) or check if credentials have been modified from factory defaults
    Affected if Default administrative credentials are still in use and allow access to the web interface
  4. Determine if remote network access is permitted
    Check firewall rules, networkACLs, or binding configurations to see if the HTTP interface accepts connections from non-localhost sources
    Affected if The HTTP interface is reachable from remote network locations rather than localhost-only

A system is affected if APC PowerChute is installed with its HTTP administrative interface enabled, accessible remotely, and still using default credentials.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Immediately change the default credentials to strong, unique passwords and disable remote HTTP access if not required. If the HTTP interface is needed, restrict access via firewall rules or VPN to prevent external exploitation.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. 1. Access the PowerChute HTTP management interface
  2. 2. Navigate to the user authentication or security settings
  3. 3. Locate the default administrator account
  4. 4. Change the default password to a strong, unique password following organizational password policies
  5. 5. If available, disable or rename the default admin account
  6. 6. Ensure the HTTP service uses encryption (HTTPS) if not already configured
  7. 7. Restrict network access to the management interface using firewall rules or access control lists

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Powerchute Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2000-1242 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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