CVE-2026-4638
📛 CVE Title
Plaintext Password Disclosure via VBScript Sensor Error Message in Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
Description
PRTG Network Monitor before version 26.2.120.1449 ships a demo EXE/Script sensor that multiplies two integer parameters using cscript.exe. If a non-numeric value is passed instead, cscript.exe raises a 'Type mismatch' runtime error that includes the offending parameter value in plaintext. PRTG provides a documented placeholder variable, %windowspassword, which resolves to the configured Windows/domain password used by PRTG and can be passed as a sensor parameter. Any PRTG user who is not restricted to read-only access and is permitted to create sensors (the default for non-read-only users) can pass %windowspassword as an argument to the demo VBScript sensor, triggering the type-mismatch error and causing PRTG to display the plaintext password in the sensor's error output.
Overview
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Assigner (CNA)
- SEC-VLab
- CVSS severity
- HIGH
- CVSS score
- 7.1 / 10
- CVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N- Effective score
- 7.1 / 10 HIGH source: CNA overview
- CWE(s)
-
CWE-209 - Reserved
- 2026-03-23
- Published
- 2026-09-24 10:57 UTC
- Last updated
- 2026-09-24 12:14 UTC
- Source
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2026/4xxx/CVE-2026-4638.json
- Linked Threat
- CVE-2026-4638 — Plaintext Password Disclosure via VBScript Sensor Error Message in Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
NVD triage scoring NVD CVE 2.0
Layer NVD adds on top of the CNA's CVE record — published / last-modified timestamps, exploitability / impact subscores, and the FIRST.org EPSS probability that this CVE will be exploited in the wild in the next 30 days.
- NVD published
- 2026-09-24 11:16:45 UTC
- NVD last modified
- 2026-09-24 20:43:32 UTC
NVD / KEV / EPSS data refreshed 2026-09-25 04:38 UTC. Re-run the 🛰 Backfill from NVD button above to refresh.
European Union Vulnerability Database ENISA EUVD
ENISA's official EU repository for curated vulnerability intelligence. Carries a separate identifier (EUVD-YYYY-NNNN) and frequently exposes an earlier-published description + CVSS than NVD does.
- EUVD ID
-
EUVD-2026-85847 - Assigner
- SEC-VLab
- Published
- Sep 24, 2026, 10:57:54 AM
- Updated
- Sep 24, 2026, 12:14:20 PM
- EUVD base score (CVSS 4.0)
-
7.1 / 10
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - EUVD-reported EPSS
- 0.0000
- Vendors
- Paessler GmbH
- Products
-
PRTG Network Monitor (0 <26.2.120.1449)
- Aliases
-
GHSA-gh9q-9rjg-9rq2
ENISA description: PRTG Network Monitor before version 26.2.120.1449 ships a demo EXE/Script sensor that multiplies two integer parameters using cscript.exe. If a non-numeric value is passed instead, cscript.exe raises a 'Type mismatch' runtime error that includes the offending parameter value in plaintext. PRTG provides a documented placeholder variable, %windowspassword, which resolves to the configured Windows/domain password used by PRTG and can be passed as a sensor parameter. Any PRTG user who is not restricted to read-only access and is permitted to create sensors (the default for non-read-only users) can pass %windowspassword as an argument to the demo VBScript sensor, triggering the type-mismatch error and causing PRTG to display the plaintext password in the sensor's error output.
Affected products (1)
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paessler GmbH | PRTG Network Monitor |
0 (affected)
|
— |
Vendor references (4)
References embedded in the original CVE record by the assigning CNA.
- https://r.sec-consult.com/paessler third-party-advisory
- https://paessler.freshdesk.com/en/support/solutions/articles/76000088640 vendor-advisory
- https://www.paessler.com/de/download/ patch
- https://www.paessler.com/prtg/prtg-network-monitor product
Web references (0)
DuckDuckGo results ranked by threat-intel / vendor advisory domains. Generated by the 🔎 Find references (web) button above — same flow as the Remediations search.
No web references attached yet.
NVD-tagged references (4)
Reference list NVD curates from the CNA record, vendor advisories, and third-party reports. The tag chips below are NVD's analyst-assigned categories.
- https://paessler.freshdesk.com/en/support/solutions/articles/76000088640 551230f0-3615-47bd-b7cc-93e92e730bbf
- https://r.sec-consult.com/paessler 551230f0-3615-47bd-b7cc-93e92e730bbf
- https://www.paessler.com/de/download/ 551230f0-3615-47bd-b7cc-93e92e730bbf
- https://www.paessler.com/prtg/prtg-network-monitor 551230f0-3615-47bd-b7cc-93e92e730bbf
Remediations (10)
Remediations are stored against the linked Threat row; the list below is deduplicated across both pages.
-
web:brandefense.io
Learn how XSS2Shell ( CVE - 2026 -64638) enables pre-authentication XSS on WordPress login pages and how attackers can chain it to remote code execution. Discover affected versions, detection methods, mitigation steps, and why external attack surface visibility is critical.
2026-09-25 10:11 UTC -
web:cvetodo.com
CVE-2026-4638 is a CVSS 7.1 high-severity vulnerability in PRTG Network Monitor. Includes technical details, affected versions, and mitigation steps.
2026-09-25 10:11 UTC -
web:github.com
Mitigation & Recommendations 🚨 Update Immediately Upgrade to WordPress 7.0.3 ( or the corresponding security release on your branch). Sites with automatic background updates enabled should receive the fix automatically. Do not rely solely on hardening plugins or CSP as complete mitigation — the core patch is required.
2026-09-25 10:11 UTC -
web:nvd.nist.gov
Description WordPress is vulnerable to a pre-auth reflected XSS vulnerability on the login screen. Via a specially crafted malicious third-party website hosted by an attacker, it is possible for this to be escalated to an RCE vulnerability with conditions outside of the attackers control. This requires successful social engineering of and explicit interaction by the target victim. This issue ...
2026-09-25 10:11 UTC -
web:patchstack.com
WordPress 7.0.3 landed on 6 August 2026 . It's a security release with 12 different fixes covering pre-auth cross-site scripting (XSS), stored XSS, privilege esc
2026-09-25 10:11 UTC -
web:pwn.ai
Check whether your WordPress site is vulnerable to XSS2Shell ( CVE - 2026 -64638), the pre-authentication RCE in WordPress Core. A free checker from pwn.ai.
2026-09-25 10:11 UTC -
web:socradar.io
What Is XSS2Shell ( CVE - 2026 -64638)? XSS2Shell is the name given to a WordPress pre-authentication "XSS to code execution" vulnerability chain. The underlying WordPress Core vulnerability is CVE - 2026 -64638, a reflected cross-site scripting issue on the login screen. The important point for defenders is that the first stage does not require an attacker account. A crafted failed login flow ...
2026-09-25 10:11 UTC -
web:thecybersecguru.com
Learn how CVE - 2026 -64638 affects WordPress, why the pre-authentication XSS is dangerous, how researchers chained it to PHP code execution using XSS2Shell
2026-09-25 10:11 UTC -
web:www.rescana.com
Executive SummaryA critical vulnerability has been identified in WordPress—specifically, a pre-authentication reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) flaw tracked as CVE - 2026 -64638. This vulnerability, p
2026-09-25 10:11 UTC -
web:www.wiz.io
Understand the critical aspects of CVE - 2026 -64638 with a detailed vulnerability assessment, exploitation potential, affected technologies, and remediation guidance.
2026-09-25 10:11 UTC
AI Forensic Analysis
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Raw JSON
The full cvelistV5 record. Download as CVE-2026-4638.json.
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