📄 Description (English)
Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series OS Command Injection Vulnerability — Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series contains an OS command injection vulnerability that allows an attacker to conduct remote code execution.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2019-7256 is a critical OS command injection vulnerability (CVSS 9.0) affecting Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series physical access control systems, enabling unauthenticated remote code execution. This vulnerability has been actively exploited in the wild and allows attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands on the affected device. The flaw poses a severe risk to physical security infrastructure, potentially allowing threat actors to manipulate door access controls, disable alarms, or pivot into internal networks. With a public exploit available and a patch released, immediate remediation is strongly advised.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 16, 2026 10:16
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
Saudi organizations relying on Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series for physical access control are at significant risk. Critical sectors include: Government facilities and ministries (NCA-regulated environments) using these systems for building access; Energy sector installations such as ARAMCO and SEC substations where physical security is paramount; Banking and financial institutions (SAMA-regulated) where server room and vault access is controlled by such systems; Healthcare facilities managing restricted area access; Airports, seaports, and transportation hubs under GACA/MAWANI oversight. Exploitation could allow attackers to bypass physical security perimeters, gain unauthorized access to sensitive areas, and use compromised devices as network pivot points to attack internal OT/IT infrastructure — a particularly severe concern for Vision 2030 mega-projects and NEOM smart city deployments.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Government
Energy
Banking
Healthcare
Transportation
Critical Infrastructure
Defense
Smart Cities / NEOM
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
9.2
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS (0-24 hours):
1. Identify all Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series devices in your environment using asset inventory or network scanning (nmap -p 80,443,8080 --open).
2. Isolate affected devices from the corporate network immediately — place behind strict firewall rules or take offline if operationally feasible.
3. Block all external/internet-facing access to eMerge E3 management interfaces.
4. Review access logs for signs of exploitation (unusual command execution, unexpected outbound connections).
PATCHING GUIDANCE:
5. Apply the vendor-released firmware patch from Nice/Linear immediately. Verify patch version addresses CVE-2019-7256 specifically.
6. Follow vendor upgrade procedures carefully to avoid bricking devices during firmware update.
7. After patching, change all default credentials and enforce strong password policies.
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if patching is delayed):
8. Implement network-level ACLs to restrict access to eMerge E3 web interface to authorized management IPs only.
9. Deploy a WAF or reverse proxy in front of the management interface to filter malicious command injection payloads.
10. Enable network segmentation — place all physical access control systems on an isolated VLAN with no direct internet access.
11. Disable unnecessary services and remote management features on the device.
DETECTION RULES:
12. SIEM alert: Monitor for HTTP requests to eMerge E3 containing shell metacharacters (;, |, &&, $(), backticks) in parameters.
13. IDS/IPS signature: Detect exploitation attempts targeting known vulnerable endpoints (e.g., /card_scan_decoder.php).
14. Monitor for unexpected outbound connections from physical access control system IP ranges.
15. Alert on new user account creation or configuration changes on eMerge E3 devices.
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية (خلال 0-24 ساعة):
1. تحديد جميع أجهزة Nice Linear eMerge E3-Series في بيئتك باستخدام جرد الأصول أو فحص الشبكة.
2. عزل الأجهزة المتأثرة عن شبكة الشركة فوراً — وضعها خلف قواعد جدار حماية صارمة أو إيقاف تشغيلها إذا كان ذلك ممكناً تشغيلياً.
3. حظر جميع الوصول الخارجي/الإنترنت إلى واجهات إدارة eMerge E3.
4. مراجعة سجلات الوصول للكشف عن علامات الاستغلال.
إرشادات التصحيح:
5. تطبيق تصحيح البرامج الثابتة الصادر من المورد فوراً والتحقق من أنه يعالج CVE-2019-7256 تحديداً.
6. اتباع إجراءات الترقية الخاصة بالمورد بعناية لتجنب تلف الأجهزة.
7. بعد التصحيح، تغيير جميع بيانات الاعتماد الافتراضية وفرض سياسات كلمات مرور قوية.
ضوابط التعويض (في حالة تأخر التصحيح):
8. تطبيق قوائم التحكم في الوصول على مستوى الشبكة لتقييد الوصول إلى واجهة الويب.
9. نشر جدار حماية تطبيقات الويب أمام واجهة الإدارة.
10. تفعيل تجزئة الشبكة — وضع جميع أنظمة التحكم في الوصول الفيزيائي في شبكة VLAN معزولة.
11. تعطيل الخدمات غير الضرورية وميزات الإدارة عن بُعد.
قواعد الكشف:
12. تنبيه SIEM: مراقبة طلبات HTTP الموجهة لـ eMerge E3 التي تحتوي على محارف خاصة بالصدفة البرمجية.
13. توقيع IDS/IPS: اكتشاف محاولات الاستغلال التي تستهدف النقاط الطرفية المعرضة للخطر.
14. مراقبة الاتصالات الصادرة غير المتوقعة من نطاقات IP لأنظمة التحكم في الوصول الفيزيائي.
15. التنبيه عند إنشاء حسابات مستخدمين جديدة أو تغييرات في التكوين.
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC-1-4-2: Physical and Environmental Security — Access Control Systems Protection
ECC-2-3-1: Cybersecurity in Technology Assets — Vulnerability Management
ECC-2-5-1: Network Security — Network Segmentation and Access Control
ECC-2-6-1: Identity and Access Management — Privileged Access Controls
ECC-3-3-1: Third-Party and Cloud Computing Cybersecurity — Vendor Risk Management
🔵 SAMA CSF
3.3 Cyber Security Operations — Vulnerability and Patch Management
3.4 Third-Party Cybersecurity — Vendor Device Security
3.2 Cyber Security Architecture — Network Segmentation
3.1 Cyber Security Governance — Asset Management and Risk Assessment
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
A.7.1 Physical Security Perimeters — Access Control Systems Integrity
A.8.8 Management of Technical Vulnerabilities — Patch Management
A.8.20 Network Security — Segmentation of Physical Security Systems
A.8.22 Segregation of Networks — OT/IT Separation
A.5.23 Information Security for Use of Cloud Services — Third-party Device Management
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0
Requirement 1.3: Network Access Controls — Restrict access to cardholder data environment
Requirement 6.3: Security Vulnerabilities — Patching of systems protecting CDE physical access
Requirement 9.1: Physical Security Controls — Integrity of access control systems
🔗 References & Sources 0
No references.
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
Nice:Linear eMerge E3-Series