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How CVE-2026-21404 Works
NAVTOR NavBox is a dedicated marine hardware and software system installed on ships that automates the distribution and updating of digital navigational data. A critical security flaw exists in versions through 4.16.1.20 stemming from hard-coded credentials embedded within its Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) SOAP implementation. This weakness falls under CWE-798, which specifically addresses the use of hard-coded credentials in software applications.
The vulnerability exists within the WCF service layer where authentication mechanisms are implemented, creating an attack surface that can be exploited by local adversaries who have access to the system. The hard-coded credentials are embedded directly within the application code rather than being dynamically generated or stored in secure configuration files. This design flaw allows an attacker to extract these credentials through various means including reverse engineering, memory inspection, or direct code analysis.
If the SOAP functionality is enabled, a local attacker with low privileges can extract these hard-coded SOAP credentials. Once extracted, these credentials can be used to authenticate against the SOAP interface without requiring legitimate user credentials or authorization processes. Successful authentication against the SOAP interface grants access to privileged WCF methods that are typically restricted to authorized administrators or system processes. This privilege escalation capability enables attackers to perform file operations within application-defined paths, potentially allowing them to write or overwrite critical system files, configuration data, or application resources. The ability to manipulate files within these paths can lead to complete system compromise, data corruption, or the installation of persistent backdoors within the application environment. The vulnerability is not exploitable remotely and has a high attack complexity.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: NAVTOR NavBox
Version: 4.16.1.20 and earlier
Vulnerability: Hard-coded Credentials (CWE-798)
Severity: MEDIUM (CVSS 6.3)
Date: 2026-06-04
Prediction: April 2026 (Patch 4.17.2.6)
What Undercode Say:
Analytics
- CVE ID: CVE-2026-21404
- Published: 2026-06-04
- CVSS v3 Base Score: 6.3 (MEDIUM)
- CVSS v3 Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
- CVSS v4 Base Score: 5.8 (MEDIUM)
- CVSS v4 Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- EPSS: 0.00017
- Attack Vector: Local
- Attack Complexity: High
- Privileges Required: Low
- User Interaction: None
- Confidentiality Impact: None
- Integrity Impact: High
- Availability Impact: High
- CWE: CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials)
- ATT&CK: T1548.002 (Bypass User Execution Controls)
- Exploit Availability: None publicly available
- Patch Available: Yes (version 4.17.2.6 and later)
Bash Commands & Code
The following examples illustrate how an attacker with local access might identify and interact with the vulnerable SOAP interface:
Check if SOAP/WCF service is running on localhost netstat -ano | findstr :8080 Identify NavBox process and dump memory for credential extraction (Requires appropriate privileges) procdump -ma NavBox.exe Example of extracting hard-coded strings from the binary strings NavBox.exe | findstr /i "password" strings NavBox.exe | findstr /i "username" Connecting to the SOAP endpoint using extracted credentials (PowerShell example) $cred = Get-Credential $soapRequest = [bash]@" <soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"> <soapenv:Header/> <soapenv:Body> <PrivilegedMethod> <!-- Parameter payload --> </PrivilegedMethod> </soapenv:Body> </soapenv:Envelope> "@ Invoke SOAP request (conceptual) Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "http://localhost:8080/NavBoxService" ` -Method Post ` -Credential $cred <code>-Body $soapRequest.OuterXml
<h2 style=”color: blue;”>Exploit:</h2>
A local attacker with low privileges can exploit this vulnerability by following these steps:
1. Identify the SOAP Functionality: Determine if the SOAP/WCF service is enabled on the NavBox system (typically listening on a local port).
2. Extract Hard-coded Credentials: Use reverse engineering tools (e.g.,strings,procdump`, debuggers) or memory inspection to locate the embedded credentials within the NavBox application binary or process memory.
3. Authenticate to the SOAP Interface: Use the extracted credentials to authenticate against the SOAP endpoint, bypassing normal authentication workflows.
4. Invoke Privileged WCF Methods: Once authenticated, call privileged WCF methods that allow file write/overwrite operations within application-defined paths.
5. Achieve Persistence or Disruption: Write malicious files, overwrite critical configuration, or disrupt the navigation data update workflow.
Note: No public exploit is available at this time, and the vulnerability has high attack complexity.
Protection:
- Apply the Official Patch: NAVTOR has released version 4.17.2.6 which includes the fix. Users with an active NavBox connection will automatically be updated.
- Disable SOAP Functionality: If the SOAP feature is not required, disable it to eliminate the attack surface.
- Network Segmentation: Locate NavBox systems behind firewalls and isolate them from business networks. Ensure they are not accessible from the internet.
- Endpoint Monitoring: Implement monitoring and logging to detect unauthorized access attempts to the SOAP interface.
- Code Review: Conduct comprehensive code reviews to identify other instances of hard-coded credentials within the software ecosystem.
- Principle of Least Privilege: Restrict local access to NavBox systems to only trusted administrators.
Impact:
Successful exploitation allows a local attacker to:
- Bypass the intended transfer workflow and authentication mechanisms
- Gain unauthorized access to privileged WCF methods
- Write or overwrite files within application-defined paths
- Potentially cause disruption of operations
- Corrupt critical system files, configuration data, or application resources
- Install persistent backdoors within the application environment
- Achieve local privilege escalation
The impact is limited to local attacks and does not affect confidentiality, but integrity and availability are rated as High.
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Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
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