A low privileged remote attacker can obtain the root password because sensitive information is not properly removed before being stored or transmitted.

The vulnerability affects a broad range of Phoenix Contact MGUARD products, including the MGUARD 2102, 2105, 4102 PCI, 4102 PCIE, 4302, 4305, CENTERPORT VPN-1000, CORE TX, CORE TX VPN DELTA TX/TX, DELTA TX/TX VPN, GT/GT, GT/GT VPN, PCI4000, PCI4000 VPN, PCIE4000, PCIE4000 VPN, RS2000 TX/TX VPN, RS2000 TX/TX-B, RS2005 TX VPN, RS4000 TX/TX, RS4000 TX/TX VPN, RS4000 TX/TX-M, RS4000 TX/TX-P, RS4004 TX/DTX, RS4004 TX/DTX VPN, SMART2, SMART2 VPN, as well as the TC variants of RS2000 and RS4000 in 3G/4G configurations.

With a CVSS score of 8 the vulnerability is considered high impact. An EPSS score is not available, and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV, but devices exposed to remote networks can be targeted by attackers who only need low privileges. The likely attack vector is network-based, relying on the device’s remote management or storage interfaces, which allows a low privileged remote attacker to obtain the root password through the improper handling of sensitive information.