TRJ Cybersecurity — CloudCharge Platform Vulnerabilities Open Global EV Charging Networks to Session Hijack and Impersonation Risk

Threat Summary

Category: Industrial Control System Vulnerabilities
Features: Charging station impersonation, session hijacking, backend manipulation, denial-of-service exposure
Delivery Method: Network-based exploitation of authentication and session management flaws
Threat Actor: Opportunistic attackers, financially motivated groups, infrastructure disruption actors

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A newly disclosed set of vulnerabilities affecting the CloudCharge cloudcharge.se platform introduces systemic risk to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure operating across energy and transportation sectors worldwide. The flaws impact all known versions of the platform and carry a maximum CVSS v3 score of 9.4, placing them in the critical severity tier.

CloudCharge, headquartered in Sweden, provides cloud-based charging infrastructure management systems used to authenticate sessions, coordinate billing, and manage communication between EV charging stations and backend services. The vulnerabilities create conditions under which attackers could impersonate charging stations, hijack active charging sessions, suppress or misroute legitimate traffic, or manipulate data flowing to centralized management platforms.

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Core Vulnerability Profile

Affected Product: CloudCharge cloudcharge.se
Affected Versions: All versions
CVE Identifiers:

• CVE-2026-20781
• CVE-2026-25114
• CVE-2026-27652
• CVE-2026-20733

Vulnerability Classes Identified:

• Missing authentication for critical functions
• Improper restriction of excessive authentication attempts
• Insufficient session expiration controls
• Insufficiently protected credentials

These weaknesses collectively undermine core trust boundaries within EV charging network architecture.

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Technical Impact Analysis

1. Charging Station Impersonation

Missing authentication controls for critical backend functions allow a malicious actor to masquerade as a legitimate charging unit. In EV infrastructure ecosystems, backend servers rely on device identity assertions to authorize session initiation, billing reconciliation, and energy allocation.

If device identity verification mechanisms are weak or bypassable, attackers can:

• Register rogue charging endpoints
• Submit falsified telemetry data
• Trigger unauthorized charging sessions
• Manipulate billing records

This form of impersonation introduces both operational and financial consequences.

2. Session Hijacking and Traffic Manipulation

Insufficient session expiration and credential protections increase the likelihood of session replay or takeover. An attacker positioned on the network could capture authentication tokens or exploit weak retry limitations to brute-force access.

Consequences may include:

• Mid-session takeover of charging operations
• Forced termination of legitimate charging sessions
• Redirected communication between stations and backend
• Backend data injection or suppression

In high-density urban deployments, this creates a pathway for cascading denial-of-service conditions.

3. Large-Scale Denial of Service

Improper rate-limiting on authentication attempts introduces brute-force risk and platform exhaustion scenarios. Coordinated exploitation across multiple nodes could suppress legitimate charging traffic across an entire regional cluster.

In transportation hubs, fleet charging depots, or highway corridors, sustained service disruption can:

• Immobilize fleet vehicles
• Interrupt public charging availability
• Create congestion at alternate charging sites
• Trigger emergency fallback energy routing

The downstream effect extends beyond IT compromise into physical transportation continuity.

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Infrastructure at Risk

CloudCharge deployments span two critical infrastructure sectors:

• Energy: Grid-integrated EV load management
• Transportation Systems: Public and private vehicle charging networks

Modern EV charging ecosystems are tightly coupled with utility load-balancing systems. Compromise of charging telemetry or backend integrity may introduce inaccurate load data into grid management systems, affecting demand modeling.

Transportation sector exposure includes:

• Municipal EV fleets
• Commercial logistics operations
• Public transit electrification programs
• Residential and commercial charging networks

Given the rapid global expansion of EV adoption, the scale of potential exposure is non-trivial.

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Geographic Exposure

Countries/Areas Deployed: Worldwide
Headquarters Location: Sweden

Global deployment increases cross-jurisdictional incident response complexity. Exploitation in one region may not immediately be detectable in another without centralized monitoring coordination.

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Exploit Likelihood and Threat Landscape

No confirmed public exploitation has been formally attributed at the time of disclosure. That absence does not eliminate risk. ICS vulnerabilities with authentication and credential exposure frequently become high-priority targets once technical details circulate within threat intelligence communities.

EV charging networks represent a growing attack surface due to:

• Distributed endpoints
• Remote connectivity
• Integration with payment systems
• Grid-facing telemetry pathways

Actors with financial motives may exploit billing manipulation vectors. Infrastructure disruption groups may target denial-of-service pathways for strategic visibility or operational disruption.

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Mitigation and Defensive Posture

Organizations operating affected systems should:

• Restrict Internet exposure of control system components
• Isolate charging management networks from corporate IT networks
• Enforce strict firewall segmentation
• Require secure remote access methods with hardened configurations
• Audit authentication logs for abnormal retry patterns
• Review session timeout configurations and credential storage protections

Virtual private network use does not eliminate risk if endpoint hygiene is weak. Defensive architecture must assume adversaries will probe exposed authentication surfaces.

Prior to remediation deployment, organizations should conduct formal impact analysis and risk assessment aligned with operational continuity requirements.

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Operational Security Considerations

EV charging platforms increasingly function as hybrid IT/OT systems. Security misconfiguration can bridge traditional corporate networks with field-deployed energy control endpoints.

Organizations should implement:

• Defense-in-depth segmentation
• Multi-factor authentication for administrative access
• Credential rotation policies
• Network anomaly detection tuned for EV traffic patterns
• Regular firmware and backend update validation

Charging networks form part of the broader electrification transition. Securing authentication boundaries is essential to maintaining public trust in transportation electrification infrastructure.

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Forecast — 30 Days

• Increased scanning activity targeting exposed EV charging endpoints
• Potential proof-of-concept exploit publication within underground forums
• Vendor patch or mitigation guidance acceleration
• Elevated security advisories from energy-sector regulators
• Insurance and compliance review pressure for charging operators

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TRJ Verdict

Electric vehicle charging infrastructure is no longer a peripheral convenience system. It is integrated into national energy load strategies and transportation continuity frameworks. Authentication failures within such ecosystems are not minor configuration defects. They represent control-layer weaknesses within expanding electrified infrastructure.

As EV networks scale, backend identity verification and session integrity become as critical as grid hardening itself. The exposure identified in CloudCharge’s platform underscores a structural reality: rapid infrastructure expansion without hardened authentication models creates exploitable seams.

Industrial control system security must evolve in parallel with electrification strategy. Authentication is not a secondary feature. It is the trust anchor of distributed infrastructure.

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