Nine High-Severity Vulnerabilities Expose Cognex Legacy Cameras to Cyber Threats

Daily Security Review

Cybersecurity researchers at Nozomi Networks have uncovered nine high-severity vulnerabilities in several older models of Cognex industrial cameras, including the widely deployed In-Sight 2000, 7000, 8000, and 9000 series. These machine vision systems are vital for modern manufacturing—guiding robots, inspecting products, and ensuring quality control—but the flaws introduce significant risks ranging from hardcoded passwords and authentication bypasses to privilege escalation and denial-of-service attacks.

The most concerning detail is that Cognex will not be releasing patches for these vulnerabilities, labeling the affected cameras as “legacy” systems no longer supported for new applications. Yet, these cameras remain active in countless industrial environments worldwide, creating a dangerous gap between vendor policy and operational reality. Without patches, companies are forced to rely on defensive measures like strict network segmentation, limiting exposure, and securing remote access through VPNs.

While the vulnerabilities cannot be directly exploited over the internet, an attacker with access to the internal network could intercept credentials, escalate privileges, or disrupt operations—posing serious risks to production lines. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has echoed the call for immediate mitigations, stressing that organizations must adopt compensating controls now while planning long-term migrations to supported models.

This episode explores how legacy systems in critical manufacturing create enduring vulnerabilities, why vendor support policies can leave organizations exposed, and what steps asset owners must take to reduce the risk of operational disruption.

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