Vulnerability · Published Jul 14, 2026 · Assigned by Ciena

CVE-2026-5269Navigator NCS and MCP System Accounts with Default Passwords

Critical 9.8

In plain English

A critical-severity security flaw in MCP from CIENA. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.5% (higher than 42% of all known vulnerabilities).

Severity (CVSS 3.1)9.8Critical
Exploit odds (30 days)0.5%top 58.2% of all CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo reportsCISA SSVC: none
Attack toolingNoneno public tooling known

Official description

In Ciena's Navigator Network Control Suite (NCS) and Manage Control Plan (MCP), there are hidden system accounts used for internal software operations. Some of these accounts have default passwords that may be predictable. While these accounts have very limited permissions on their own, an attacker could combine an attack using one of these accounts with other potential weaknesses to launch a more significant attack, possibly leading to escalation of privilege on the system.

Affected products (as reported)

VendorProductVersions
CIENA Navigator NCS 8.1
CIENA MCP <= 8.0
CIENA Planner Plus OnPrem <= 4.1

Weakness: CWE-1393 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

References