Advantech ADAM-3600 EdgeLink: Unrestricted brute force of administrator password
Summary
Advantech ADAM-3600 EdgeLink remote terminal units contain a flaw in their proprietary protocol that allows unlimited brute-force attempts against the administrator password. The weakness also applies when the SafeEnhancement feature is enabled. An attacker with network access to the protocol service could obtain administrator access and thereby control the device, which can affect the physical process it monitors. The CVE is one of 30 Advantech advisories published the same day, so it should be prioritised with the other, more severe ones.
Affected
- Advantech ADAM-3600 EdgeLink, all versions prior to 2.8.5.0
- Default configuration is unaffected according to the CNA record
Fixed in
- Update to version 2.8.5.0 or later (version named in secondary reporting; please confirm against the Advantech advisory)
Workaround
- Restrict access to the proprietary protocol ports, the web interface and SSH to required engineering hosts only (until the update is applied)
- Change the administrator password after updating
- SafeEnhancement is not a mitigation for this CVE
Exploitation
- Not listed in CISA KEV
- CISA SSVC: exploitation none, automatable no
- VulDB reports no available exploit
- No known public proof-of-concept or in-the-wild exploitation at the time of research
Our recommendation
- Identify all ADAM-3600 EdgeLink devices in your environment, including OT networks
- Update to version 2.8.5.0 or later, after testing in line with your change process
- Set a strong, unique administrator password
- Ensure the device is not reachable from the internet or from untrusted networks
- Monitor for failed login attempts on the device and its network access
- Prioritise this device together with the other critical ADAM-3600 advisories, particularly CVE-2026-43844 and CVE-2026-43845
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- CSA Singapore alert AL-2026-149 www.csa.gov.sg
- Advantech Security Advisories www.advantech.com
- Advantech ACIRT-261001 (ADAM-3600 advisory PDF) advcloudfiles.advantech.com
- OpenCVE CVE-2026-43847 app.opencve.io
- VulDB entry 422708 vuldb.com
- Positive Technologies PT-2026-118282 vulners.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 1 Nov 2026, 15:37.
Original description (NVD)
A vulnerability in the proprietary protocol could allow an attacker to brute force the administrator password without restrictions, even when the SafeEnhancement feature is enabled.
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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