CVE-2022-42176Public exploit

Local privilege escalation via plaintext admin credentials

Published Oct 20, 2022 · Updated May 8, 2025

Hard-coded credentials in PCTechSoft PCSecure 5.0.8.xw allow local users to obtain administrator-panel access from a configuration file. The system.bmp file stores panel usernames and passwords in plaintext and can be read through a local file URI in Chrome or Firefox. A low-privilege Windows session is required; the recovered administrator login permits security-profile changes and command execution as a local administrator.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.33%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Hard-coded credentials in PCTechSoft PCSecure 5.0.8.xw allow local users to obtain administrator-panel access from a configuration file. The system.bmp file stores panel usernames and passwords in plaintext and can be read through a local file URI in Chrome or Firefox. A low-privilege Windows session is required; the recovered administrator login permits security-profile changes and command execution as a local administrator.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-42176
Published
Oct 20, 2022
Updated
May 8, 2025
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-798, T1552.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 20, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 8, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.8NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.8CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-798Use of Hard-coded Credentials
T1552.001Unsecured Credentials: Credentials In Files

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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