CVE-2019-6548
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 · uneditedGE Communicator, all versions prior to 4.0.517, contains two backdoor accounts with hardcoded credentials, which may allow control over the database. This service is inaccessible to attackers if Windows default firewall settings are used by the end user.
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 confidenceGE Communicator versions prior to 4.0.517 contain two hardcoded backdoor accounts with static credentials embedded in the software. These backdoors provide authenticated access to the application and potentially allow attackers to gain control over the underlying database, which in a control systems context could impact operational data and configurations.
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< 4.0.517CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Locate GE Communicator installationSearch for GE Communicator in the system program files directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\GE) or check Windows Add/Remove Programs for GE CommunicatorAffected if GE Communicator software is found on the system
-
Determine installed versionRight-click the GE Communicator executable, select Properties, and check the Details tab for version information, or open the application and navigate to Help > AboutAffected if Version displayed is below 4.0.517
-
Compare against vulnerable version rangeCompare your identified version number to the affected range: any version prior to 4.0.517 is vulnerableAffected if Installed version is less than 4.0.517 (for example, 4.0.500 or any 3.x release)
-
Verify hardcoded credentials presenceInspect application binaries or configuration files for embedded static credentials. The backdoor accounts are hardcoded into the software itself, so vulnerable versions contain them by designAffected if Running any version prior to 4.0.517 means the hardcoded backdoor accounts are present in the installation
A system is affected if GE Communicator is installed and the version is lower than 4.0.517, since all prior versions contain the hardcoded backdoor credentials.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped4.0.517
Deploy Windows default firewall rules to block unauthorized network access to the GE Communicator service, and upgrade to version 4.0.517 or later which removes the hardcoded credentials.
4.0.517
- 1. Identify the current installed version of GE Communicator by checking the application or system information.
- 2. Obtain GE Communicator version 4.0.517 or later from the official GE supplier or support渠道.
- 3. Create a full backup of the GE Communicator configuration, database, and any associated data.
- 4. Uninstall the current version of GE Communicator or prepare for in-place upgrade following vendor documentation.
- 5. Install version 4.0.517 or later of GE Communicator.
- 6. Restore the configuration and data from the backup taken in step 3.
- 7. Verify the installation was successful and confirm the hardcoded backdoor accounts are no longer present.
- 8. Ensure Windows firewall remains enabled as an additional defense layer.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,448.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-6548 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-6548 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data