Controller takeover via hard-coded TLS private keys
Published Jul 30, 2026 · Updated Jul 30, 2026
Hard-coded TLS keys in Watchfire BC controllers allow remote attackers to install malicious firmware and gain full controller control. The firmware stores a shared RSA private key and its self-signed X.509 certificate in plaintext patch binaries, then uses that credential to authenticate and encrypt HTTPS management traffic. Exploitation requires access to a patch binary, network reachability to the built-in web interface, and user interaction; the published impact excludes service interruption.
Summary
What happened
Hard-coded TLS keys in Watchfire BC controllers allow remote attackers to install malicious firmware and gain full controller control. The firmware stores a shared RSA private key and its self-signed X.509 certificate in plaintext patch binaries, then uses that credential to authenticate and encrypt HTTPS management traffic. Exploitation requires access to a patch binary, network reachability to the built-in web interface, and user interaction; the published impact excludes service interruption.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-5846
- Published
- Jul 30, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 30, 2026
- Vendor
- Watchfire Signs
- Product
- BC550
- Classifications
- CWE-321, T1552.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 30, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 30, 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?
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- Affected versionversion=12.30
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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