CVE-2025-54818 Overview
CVE-2025-54818 affects Cognex In-Sight Explorer and In-Sight Camera Firmware. The products expose a proprietary management protocol on TCP port 1069. This protocol handles user management operations, including authentication, without encryption. An adjacent network attacker can intercept usernames and passwords transmitted in cleartext. Captured credentials allow the attacker to gain access to the device and modify system properties. The weakness is categorized as cleartext transmission of sensitive information [CWE-319].
Critical Impact
Adjacent network attackers can capture valid credentials on TCP port 1069 and obtain administrative access to Cognex In-Sight devices used in industrial machine vision deployments.
Affected Products
- Cognex In-Sight Explorer
- Cognex In-Sight Camera Firmware
- Industrial control systems using the In-Sight management protocol on TCP/1069
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-09-18 - CVE-2025-54818 published to NVD
- 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-54818
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in the proprietary management protocol exposed on TCP port 1069 by Cognex In-Sight Explorer and In-Sight Camera Firmware. The protocol provides device management functions, including user account operations. Authentication data, including usernames and passwords, traverses the network without transport encryption. An attacker on an adjacent network segment can passively observe traffic and extract these credentials. Once captured, the credentials enable authenticated access to device management functions.
Root Cause
The root cause is the absence of cryptographic protection on a management channel that handles sensitive data [CWE-319]. The protocol does not implement TLS, message-level encryption, or credential hashing in transit. Sensitive fields are serialized and transmitted directly over TCP.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires adjacent network access, such as the same Layer 2 segment or a position that allows traffic interception between an engineering workstation and the camera. The attacker performs passive sniffing or active man-in-the-middle techniques such as ARP spoofing. User interaction is required, because credentials only appear on the wire when a legitimate operator authenticates through In-Sight Explorer. After capturing credentials, the attacker replays them against TCP/1069 to modify system properties or manipulate the imaging pipeline.
No verified exploit code is publicly available. Refer to the CISA advisory linked under Detection Methods for protocol context.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-54818
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected TCP sessions to port 1069 on In-Sight devices from hosts other than authorized engineering workstations.
- ARP table anomalies or duplicate MAC address alerts on segments hosting In-Sight cameras.
- Configuration or user account changes on In-Sight devices that do not correlate with scheduled maintenance windows.
Detection Strategies
- Deploy passive network monitoring on operational technology segments to flag traffic on TCP/1069 originating outside an allowlist of engineering hosts.
- Use deep packet inspection or industrial intrusion detection signatures that recognize the In-Sight management protocol and alert on cleartext credential patterns.
- Correlate authentication events on cameras with workstation login telemetry to identify replayed sessions.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Log all sessions to TCP/1069 at switch or firewall level and retain for incident review.
- Monitor for ARP spoofing, rogue DHCP, and unauthorized devices on machine vision VLANs.
- Review In-Sight audit logs for user, password, and configuration changes outside change-control windows.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-54818
Immediate Actions Required
- Restrict TCP/1069 access to a small set of authorized engineering workstations using firewall or switch ACLs.
- Place In-Sight devices on a dedicated, segmented VLAN isolated from corporate and general OT traffic.
- Rotate all In-Sight user account passwords after applying network restrictions, because prior credentials may already be compromised.
Patch Information
Review the CISA ICS Advisory ICSA-25-261-06 for vendor remediation guidance and firmware update availability from Cognex. Apply firmware updates published by Cognex as soon as they are validated in the target environment.
Workarounds
- Tunnel In-Sight Explorer management traffic through an encrypted channel such as an IPsec or SSH tunnel between the workstation and the camera subnet.
- Disable or block the management protocol on TCP/1069 when not actively in use for configuration tasks.
- Enforce port security and dynamic ARP inspection on switches that connect In-Sight cameras to prevent man-in-the-middle staging.
# Example firewall rule restricting TCP/1069 to engineering host 10.10.5.20
iptables -A FORWARD -p tcp --dport 1069 -s 10.10.5.20 -d 10.20.0.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A FORWARD -p tcp --dport 1069 -d 10.20.0.0/24 -j DROP
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
