CVE-2026-22535
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers with network access and valid credentials to write to server topics on MQTT communication boards due to unencrypted MQTT protocol usage. This affects systems using Thales MQTT communication boards with unsecured configurations. Organizations using these boards for industrial control or IoT communications are primarily affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Thales MQTT communication boards
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of MQTT communication infrastructure allowing injection of malicious commands, data manipulation, or disruption of critical control systems.
Likely Case
Unauthorized data injection into MQTT topics leading to data integrity issues, false sensor readings, or minor system disruptions.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and encryption, potentially only allowing unauthorized topic writes without system compromise.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires valid credentials and network access. Exploitation involves standard MQTT client tools to write to topics.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not specified
Vendor Advisory: https://cds.thalesgroup.com/en
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Check Thales advisory for specific patches. 2. Apply configuration changes to enable MQTT encryption. 3. Update MQTT broker software if available.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Enable MQTT TLS Encryption
allConfigure MQTT broker to use TLS/SSL encryption for all communications
# Configure mosquitto.conf: listener 8883
# protocol mqtt
# cafile /path/to/ca.crt
# certfile /path/to/server.crt
# keyfile /path/to/server.key
Implement Network Segmentation
linuxIsolate MQTT traffic to separate VLAN with strict access controls
# Example firewall rule: iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 1883 -s trusted_network -j ACCEPT
# iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 1883 -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit MQTT port access to authorized systems only
- Use VPN tunnels for all remote MQTT communications and implement certificate-based authentication
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check MQTT broker configuration for TLS/SSL settings and test if plaintext MQTT connections are accepted on port 1883Check Version:
Check MQTT broker version command varies by implementation (mosquitto -v for Mosquitto)Verify Fix Applied:
Attempt to connect via plaintext MQTT on port 1883 - connection should be rejected. Verify TLS connections on port 8883 work properly.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized MQTT connection attempts
- MQTT PUBLISH commands from unexpected sources
- Failed TLS handshake attempts
Network Indicators:
- Plaintext MQTT traffic on port 1883 from unauthorized sources
- MQTT topic writes from unexpected IP addresses
SIEM Query:
source="mqtt.log" AND (event="PUBLISH" AND NOT src_ip IN allowed_ips) OR (proto="MQTT" AND NOT tls_enabled)