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CVE-2026-90456 – Default/Hardcoded Admin Credentials – CISA Malcolm prior to v26.06.0

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Summary

CVE-2026-90456 is a critical use-of-default-credentials vulnerability (CWE-1392) affecting Malcolm, CISA’s open-source network traffic analysis platform, in versions prior to v26.06.0. The example environment-configuration file for Malcolm’s bundled inventory-management component (NetBox) ships with a fixed, publicly-known administrative password. Deployments that copy this example file into their active configuration without running the setup routine that regenerates credentials expose the component’s administrative interface to anyone who knows the default value, resulting in a CVSS score of 9.2 (Critical).

Technical details

  • Root cause: The example environment-configuration file distributed with Malcolm for its bundled inventory-management component (NetBox) contains a hardcoded, publicly-known administrative password.
  • Trigger condition: An administrator deploys the example configuration file as-is, without executing the credential-regeneration/setup routine that Malcolm provides to replace default secrets.
  • Attack vector: Network — no authentication or user interaction is required; an attacker only needs network reachability to the exposed administrative interface and knowledge of the publicly-known default password.
  • Impact: Full administrative access to the inventory-management component, with confidentiality, integrity, and availability all rated High — allowing an attacker to read, modify, and disrupt inventory/asset data managed by the component.

Affected software

  • Malcolm: all versions before v26.06.0 (bundled inventory-management/NetBox component using the default example configuration)
  • Fixed in: Malcolm v26.06.0 and later

Severity

  • CVSS v4.0 Base Score: 9.2 (Critical)
  • Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: Upgrade Malcolm to v26.06.0 or later.
  • If upgrading is not immediately possible: Do not deploy the example environment-configuration file unchanged — run Malcolm’s setup routine to regenerate all default credentials/secrets for the bundled inventory-management (NetBox) component before exposing it to any network, and restrict network access to the administrative interface to trusted management networks only.

References

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