CVE-2016-20026Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Unauthenticated SYSTEM code execution via hardcoded credentials

Published Mar 15, 2026 · Updated Mar 15, 2026

Hardcoded credentials in ZKTeco ZKBioSecurity 3.0 allow remote attackers to access Tomcat Manager and execute code as SYSTEM. The bundled Tomcat configuration stores a fixed manager username and password in tomcat-users.xml and grants that account WAR deployment roles. Reachability of the exposed Manager application is the gate; authentication permits a malicious JSP application to run with full Windows service privileges.

CVSS severity9.3
Critical
EPSS probability0.78%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Hardcoded credentials in ZKTeco ZKBioSecurity 3.0 allow remote attackers to access Tomcat Manager and execute code as SYSTEM. The bundled Tomcat configuration stores a fixed manager username and password in tomcat-users.xml and grants that account WAR deployment roles. Reachability of the exposed Manager application is the gate; authentication permits a malicious JSP application to run with full Windows service privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2016-20026
Published
Mar 15, 2026
Updated
Mar 15, 2026
Vendor
ZKTeco
Product
ZKBioSecurity
Classifications
CWE-798, T1505.003, T1078.001
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Mar 15, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=3.0.1.0_R_230

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

ZKTeco · ZKBioSecurityversion=3.0.1.0_R_230

Published CVSS scores

9.3VulnCheck CNACVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
9.8VulnCheck CNACVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-798Use of Hard-coded Credentials
T1505.003Server Software Component: Web Shell
T1078.001Valid Accounts: Default Accounts

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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