CVE-2024-36080
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 · uneditedWestermo EDW-100 devices through 2024-05-03 have a hidden root user account with a hardcoded password that cannot be changed. NOTE: this is a serial-to-Ethernet converter that should not be placed at the edge of the network.
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 confidenceThe Westermo EDW-100 serial-to-Ethernet converter contains a hidden root user account with a hardcoded password that cannot be changed by administrators. This backdoor allows remote attackers to gain full root access to the device, completely bypassing authentication controls.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the device modelAccess the device web interface, CLI, or check the device label/packaging to confirm the exact model number is Westermo EDW-100Affected if The device is a Westermo EDW-100 serial-to-Ethernet converter
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Check for unexpected user accountsLog into the device admin interface and navigate to User Management or Account settings. List all configured user accounts and look for any account other than those created by your organization, especially any root-level or administrator account you did not createAffected if There is a hidden or unknown root or administrator account present that was not created by your organization
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Verify account mutabilityAttempt to modify or delete any discovered accounts through the admin interface. Try to change the password or delete the root account if one exists. Note whether the system prevents modification or deletion of any accountAffected if There exists a root or administrator account that cannot be modified or deleted through the admin interface
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Check for hardcoded credentials in configurationIf you have access to the device firmware or configuration backups, examine for hardcoded username/password pairs. Look in firmware files, config exports, or system logs for root user entries with static passwordsAffected if A hardcoded root password is found in firmware, configuration files, or logs
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Review remote access settingsCheck the device network settings for enabled remote access protocols such as Telnet, SSH, or web management. Determine if these services are accessible from untrusted networksAffected if Remote management interfaces (Telnet/SSH/HTTP) are enabled and accessible from outside your trusted network
You are affected if you have a Westermo EDW-100 device with an unrecognized, immutable root account that provides full device access.
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.
From vendor dataSince the hardcoded password cannot be changed, network segmentation is essential—do not expose these devices at network edges. Contact Westermo for firmware updates; if unavailable, consider device replacement. Apply compensating controls like firewalls and ACLs to restrict access to affected devices.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-36080 — 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-2024-36080 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
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- 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