CWE-259Weakness · CWE-259

CVE-2026-7251

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-26
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
Eppendorf BioFlo 320 is vulnerable due to VNC server using a hard-coded password. If a remote attacker knows the network address of any BioFlo 320 model with remote access enabled, they can gain full control of the user interface by using this password. Once connected, the attacker would have full access to all control panel features for the BioFlo 320. VNC traffic is not encrypted.

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

The Eppendorf BioFlo 320 bioprocessor controller contains a hard-coded password for its built-in VNC server. An attacker with network access can use this known password to connect via VNC and gain full administrative control of the device's control panel. Additionally, VNC communications are transmitted unencrypted, allowing credential interception and man-in-the-middle attacks.

MitigationImmediately disable the VNC service if remote access is not essential, or implement network segmentation to restrict VNC access to authorized personnel only. If VNC is required, contact Eppendorf for a firmware update that addresses the hard-coded credential and enables encryption.

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 checks

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

  1. Identify the device model
    Locate the bioprocessing controller on your network and confirm the model is Eppendorf BioFlo 320. Check device labels, network inventory, or management interfaces for the exact model number.
    Affected if The device is an Eppendorf BioFlo 320 bioprocessing controller.
  2. Check if VNC service is running
    Scan the device for open VNC ports (typically 5900/TCP for VNC). Use a network scanner or run 'nmap -p 5900 <device-ip>' or check device services via its management interface if accessible.
    Affected if Port 5900/TCP or other VNC ports are open and responding on the device.
  3. Verify VNC is accessible from network
    Attempt to connect to the VNC service from an untrusted network segment or verify firewall rules allow inbound VNC connections to the device. Check if the VNC service binds to 0.0.0.0 (all interfaces) rather than localhost only.
    Affected if The VNC service is reachable from network segments outside the trusted control network.
  4. Inspect VNC authentication configuration
    Examine the VNC server configuration files or firmware settings for embedded credentials. If you can access the device configuration, look for hardcoded passwords in VNC settings or service definitions.
    Affected if A static or hardcoded password is configured for VNC access rather than individually managed user credentials.
  5. Confirm VNC traffic encryption status
    Capture network traffic on the VNC port using a packet sniffer (e.g., Wireshark or tcpdump) and verify whether the session uses TLS/SSL encryption or transmits data in plaintext.
    Affected if VNC sessions transmit authentication credentials and control traffic in plaintext without TLS or other encryption.

You are affected if you operate an Eppendorf BioFlo 320 device with VNC enabled and accessible, where the VNC service uses a hardcoded password and transmits data unencrypted.

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

Immediately disable the VNC service if remote access is not essential, or implement network segmentation to restrict VNC access to authorized personnel only. If VNC is required, contact Eppendorf for a firmware update that addresses the hard-coded credential and enables encryption.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2026-7251 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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