dbcve.org
MxviewApplication · Moxa

CVE-2021-38456

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.2.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
A use of hard-coded password vulnerability in the Moxa MXview Network Management software Versions 3.x to 3.2.2 may allow an attacker to gain access through accounts using default passwords

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

Moxa MXview Network Management software versions 3.x through 3.2.2 contains hard-coded/default passwords embedded in the software or configuration that allow remote attackers to authenticate to the application. The CVSS 9.8 score indicates this is easily exploitable over the network with no privileges required.

MitigationChange all default passwords immediately per vendor guidance, disable unused default accounts, and ensure strong unique passwords are configured for all user accounts. Restrict network access to the management interface to trusted IPs if possible.

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
MxviewApplication
Affected:>= 3.0, <= 3.2.2

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
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 checks

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

  1. Determine installed MXview version
    Open the MXview application and navigate to Help > About, or check the Windows registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Moxa\MXview for the Version value
    Affected if The version displayed is 3.0 through 3.2.2 inclusive
  2. Locate user configuration database
    Navigate to the MXview installation directory (default: C:\Program Files\Moxa\MXview) and locate the user database file, typically stored in the config or data subfolder with a .db or .xml extension
    Affected if A user database file exists in the default location
  3. Inspect default account status
    Open the MXview web interface or desktop client, go to Settings > User Management, and enumerate all listed user accounts
    Affected if Accounts named 'admin', 'user', or other default-named accounts are present and enabled
  4. Check for hardcoded credentials in configuration files
    Examine XML or configuration files in the MXview installation directory for plaintext passwords or encoded credential strings
    Affected if Configuration files contain hardcoded password fields for any user accounts
  5. Verify default password in use
    Attempt to log in using the default account credentials (commonly admin/admin or admin/password) via the MXview web interface on port 8080 or 443
    Affected if Authentication succeeds with default credentials without any password change since installation

If the installed version falls within 3.0 to 3.2.2 and any default or hardcoded passwords are still active, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 3.2.2
Interim mitigation

Change all default passwords immediately per vendor guidance, disable unused default accounts, and ensure strong unique passwords are configured for all user accounts. Restrict network access to the management interface to trusted IPs if possible.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Any version newer than 3.2.2 (contact Moxa for specific fixed release)

  1. 1. Contact Moxa technical support to obtain the latest fixed version of MXview Network Management software
  2. 2. Download the fixed version from Moxa's official support portal (https://www.moxa.com/en/support/product-support)
  3. 3. Back up the current MXview configuration and database
  4. 4. Uninstall the current MXview version (3.0 through 3.2.2)
  5. 5. Install the fixed version of MXview
  6. 6. Restore the configuration from the backup
  7. 7. Change all default passwords to strong, unique passwords for all user accounts
  8. 8. Verify the application is running correctly after upgrade
Caveat Review Moxa release notes for version 3.2.3 or later for any configuration or feature changes that may affect your deployment

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

Fix this in Mxview Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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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-2021-38456 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data