Foxman UnApplication · Hitachienergy

CVE-2021-40341

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
DES cipher, which has inadequate encryption strength, is used Hitachi Energy FOXMAN-UN to encrypt user credentials used to access the Network Elements. Successful exploitation allows sensitive information to be decrypted easily. This issue affects  * FOXMAN-UN product: FOXMAN-UN R16A, FOXMAN-UN R15B, FOXMAN-UN R15A, FOXMAN-UN R14B, FOXMAN-UN R14A, FOXMAN-UN R11B, FOXMAN-UN R11A, FOXMAN-UN R10C, FOXMAN-UN R9C;  * UNEM product: UNEM R16A, UNEM R15B, UNEM R15A, UNEM R14B, UNEM R14A, UNEM R11B, UNEM R11A, UNEM R10C, UNEM R9C. List of CPEs:  * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R16A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R15B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R15A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R14B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R14A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R11B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R11A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R10C:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R9C:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R16A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R15B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R15A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R14B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R14A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R11B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R11A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R10C:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R9C:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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 · high confidence

Hitachi Energy FOXMAN-UN and UNEM products use the weak DES encryption algorithm (56-bit key) to encrypt user credentials for accessing Network Elements. DES is cryptographically weak by modern standards and can be easily brute-forced, allowing attackers to decrypt stored credentials and gain unauthorized access.

MitigationReplace DES with a modern symmetric encryption algorithm (e.g., AES-256) and re-encrypt all stored credentials. Consider credential rotation for potentially compromised accounts.

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
Foxman UnApplication
Affected:= r9c= r10c= r11a= r11b= r14a= r14b= r15a= r15b= r16a
UnemApplication
Affected:= r9c= r10c= r11a= r11b= r14a= r14b= r15a= r15b= r16a

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 installed product version
    Check the FOXMAN-UN or UNEM product version through the web interface, command line, or system information file. Common locations include the system status page or a version/info file in the installation directory.
    Affected if The installed version matches any of: r9c, r10c, r11a, r11b, r14a, r14b, r15a, r15b, or r16a
  2. Locate stored credential files
    Search for credential storage locations such as user configuration files, database files, or credential vaults where Network Element access credentials are stored. Look for files with names like credentials, users, auth, or similar in the application data directory.
    Affected if Credential storage files exist and contain encrypted user credentials for Network Elements
  3. Identify encryption algorithm used
    Examine the credential storage files or configuration to determine the encryption method. Check configuration files for encryption settings, or analyze the encrypted data patterns to identify the DES cipher (8-byte block size, recognizable DES ciphertext patterns).
    Affected if The encryption algorithm used for storing Network Element credentials is DES or the configuration explicitly specifies DES for credential encryption
  4. Verify DES key length
    If DES encryption is confirmed, verify that the 56-bit key is in use. This typically manifests as 8-byte key values in configuration or as 8-byte encrypted blocks in stored credential files.
    Affected if DES with a 56-bit key is being used to encrypt the stored credentials

A user is affected if their FOXMAN-UN or UNEM installation uses DES encryption to store Network Element credentials and runs any of the listed versions.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Replace DES with a modern symmetric encryption algorithm (e.g., AES-256) and re-encrypt all stored credentials. Consider credential rotation for potentially compromised accounts.

Fix this in Foxman Un Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation20.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA5.0 h
41.0 hours of engineering $7,200
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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-2021-40341 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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