CVE-2026-27767: Swtchenergy Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-27767 Overview

CVE-2026-27767 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability affecting SWTCH Energy's charging infrastructure platform. The WebSocket endpoints used for Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) communication lack proper authentication mechanisms, enabling attackers to perform unauthorized station impersonation and manipulate data sent to the backend systems.

An unauthenticated attacker can connect to the OCPP WebSocket endpoint using a known or discovered charging station identifier, then issue or receive OCPP commands as a legitimate charger. Given that no authentication is required, this can lead to privilege escalation, unauthorized control of charging infrastructure, and corruption of charging network data reported to the backend.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability allows complete station impersonation without authentication, potentially enabling attackers to disrupt electric vehicle charging networks, manipulate billing data, and gain unauthorized control over critical charging infrastructure.

Affected Products

• SWTCH Energy swtchenergy.com platform
• OCPP WebSocket endpoints within the SWTCH Energy charging infrastructure
• Backend systems receiving OCPP commands from charging stations

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-27 - CVE-2026-27767 published to NVD
• 2026-03-05 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-27767

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Function), representing a fundamental security architecture flaw in the OCPP WebSocket implementation. The OCPP protocol is designed to facilitate communication between electric vehicle charging stations and central management systems, making authentication essential for maintaining the integrity of the charging network.

The vulnerability exists because the WebSocket endpoints accept connections from any client presenting a valid charging station identifier without requiring additional authentication credentials. This design flaw allows attackers who have obtained or guessed a station identifier to fully impersonate that charging station.

The attack is network-accessible and requires no privileges, user interaction, or prior authentication. Once connected, an attacker can send arbitrary OCPP commands to the backend, receive commands intended for legitimate chargers, and manipulate operational data flowing through the system.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2026-27767 is the absence of authentication mechanisms on the OCPP WebSocket endpoints. The system relies solely on charging station identifiers as a form of identification without implementing proper authentication to verify the connecting client's legitimacy. Station identifiers may be predictable, enumerable, or discoverable through reconnaissance, making this identification-only approach fundamentally insecure.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based with low complexity. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability through the following approach:

The attacker first identifies or discovers a valid charging station identifier. This could be accomplished through physical inspection of charging stations, network traffic analysis, or enumeration attacks against the WebSocket endpoint. Once a valid identifier is obtained, the attacker establishes a WebSocket connection to the OCPP endpoint, presenting the discovered station identifier.

Without authentication barriers, the connection is accepted as legitimate. The attacker can then send OCPP commands such as BootNotification, Heartbeat, StartTransaction, StopTransaction, or MeterValues messages to manipulate backend data. They can also receive commands intended for the legitimate station, potentially disrupting normal operations.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-27767

Indicators of Compromise

• Multiple simultaneous WebSocket connections originating from different IP addresses using the same charging station identifier
• Unusual geographic distribution of connection sources for individual station identifiers
• Anomalous OCPP command patterns that deviate from expected charging station behavior
• Duplicate BootNotification messages from stations that are already registered as online

Detection Strategies

• Implement logging and monitoring for all OCPP WebSocket connection attempts with detailed client information
• Deploy network-based anomaly detection to identify unusual connection patterns to OCPP endpoints
• Monitor for rapid succession of connection attempts or commands that indicate enumeration attacks
• Alert on OCPP transactions that don't correlate with physical charging session data

Monitoring Recommendations

• Establish baseline behavior profiles for each charging station to detect impersonation attempts
• Implement real-time alerting for duplicate station identifier connections from different source IPs
• Monitor backend data integrity for signs of manipulation such as billing anomalies or phantom transactions
• Review authentication logs and access patterns for OCPP infrastructure components regularly

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-27767

Immediate Actions Required

• Implement strong mutual authentication (mTLS) for all OCPP WebSocket connections immediately
• Audit current WebSocket connection logs to identify potential unauthorized access attempts
• Consider temporarily restricting OCPP endpoint access to known IP ranges while implementing authentication
• Contact SWTCH Energy through their contact page for vendor-specific guidance

Patch Information

Organizations should review the CISA ICS Advisory ICSA-26-057-06 for official vendor guidance and patch availability. Additional technical details are available in the CSAF advisory documentation. Contact SWTCH Energy directly through their support channels to obtain the latest security updates and implementation guidance.

Workarounds

• Deploy a reverse proxy or API gateway in front of OCPP WebSocket endpoints that enforces authentication before forwarding connections
• Implement network segmentation to restrict OCPP endpoint access to authorized network segments only
• Use VPN or secure tunnels for charging station communications until proper authentication is implemented
• Enable connection rate limiting and implement IP-based access controls as temporary protective measures

# Example: Implement IP allowlisting for OCPP endpoints (temporary mitigation)
# Add known charging station IP addresses to firewall rules
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -s <trusted_station_ip> -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j DROP

# Enable connection logging for forensic analysis
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j LOG --log-prefix "OCPP-CONNECTION: "