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CVE-2026-76708 – Unauthenticated Access via Hard-Coded Credentials – HPE Analytics and Location Engi

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Summary

CVE-2026-76708 is a critical vulnerability in HPE Networking’s Analytics and Location Engine (ALE) caused by default, hard-coded credentials present in both the ALE application and its underlying operating system across multiple administrative and system accounts. An unauthenticated remote attacker can log in using these known credentials, gaining unauthorized access to the management interface and the underlying OS. The flaw is rated CVSS 9.8 (Critical) and was disclosed by HPE on September 22, 2026.

Technical details

  • Root cause: ALE ships with default, hard-coded credentials embedded in the application and in its underlying operating system, affecting several administrative and system-level accounts.
  • Trigger conditions: No authentication or user interaction is required; an attacker only needs network access to the exposed ALE management interface and knowledge of the default credential values.
  • Attack vector: Network (remote), low attack complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction.
  • Impact: Successful exploitation grants an attacker unauthorized access to both the ALE management application and the underlying operating system, with high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability — potentially resulting in full system compromise.
  • This vulnerability was disclosed alongside several other ALE flaws in the same HPE advisory, including additional unauthenticated file-system write access and web-interface command execution issues, indicating multiple weaknesses in the same product exposed together.

Affected software

  • HPE Networking Analytics and Location Engine (ALE), versions 0.0.0.0 through 5.0.0.0 (inclusive)

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 9.8 (Critical)
  • Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: Upgrade to HPE Networking Analytics and Location Engine (ALE) version 5.1.0.0 or later, as directed in HPE Security Bulletin HPESBNW05137, which addresses this and related vulnerabilities.
  • If immediate patching is not possible:
    • Restrict network access to the ALE management interface to trusted administrative networks only.
    • Place ALE administrative traffic on a dedicated, isolated management VLAN.
    • Apply strict firewall rules to block untrusted or internet-facing connections to the management interface.
    • Review and rotate any default or system account credentials on ALE deployments where possible.
  • HPE stated it was not aware of public discussion or exploit code targeting these vulnerabilities as of the advisory’s release date; organizations should still treat this as high priority given the unauthenticated, network-exploitable nature of the flaw.

References

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