IT Security Vulnerability Assessment

Passive Security Review Based on Public Information | January 2026

DISCLAIMER: This assessment is based on publicly available information including CVE databases, security advisories, and vendor documentation. No active penetration testing was performed. This is not an official security audit. Findings should be verified by qualified security professionals before taking action.

Executive Summary

Overall Risk Level: HIGH
8
Systems Assessed
4
Critical Vulnerabilities
7
High Vulnerabilities
5
Medium Vulnerabilities

This assessment identifies potential security vulnerabilities in Northampton County's disclosed IT infrastructure based on publicly available CVE data and security research. The most significant findings relate to the ESRI ArcGIS platform (critical RCE vulnerability CVE-2025-2538) and voting system integrity concerns. AI-powered attacks pose an elevated threat to public-facing systems, particularly through automated exploitation and advanced phishing campaigns.

CRITICAL
ESRI ArcGIS Enterprise
GIS Platform | gis.northamptoncounty.org
▼

Public Exposure: HIGH - Public-facing portal
Usage: Property mapping, parcel data, zoning, tax maps

CVE-2025-2538 CVSS 9.8
Remote Code Execution
ArcGIS Enterprise Portal vulnerability allowing unauthenticated remote code execution. Attackers can execute arbitrary code on the server without any authentication.
Affected Versions
ArcGIS Enterprise < 11.4
Exploitability
Network - No authentication required
AI Exploit Risk: HIGH - Automated exploitation possible with publicly available code
CVE-2024-25699 CVSS 8.1
Path Traversal
Directory traversal vulnerability allowing unauthorized file access on the server.
AI Exploit Risk: HIGH - Can be automated for data exfiltration
CVE-2024-25692 CVSS 7.5
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Stored XSS vulnerability in ArcGIS Portal that could be used to steal credentials or session tokens.
CVE-2024-25695 CVSS 6.5
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
CSRF vulnerability allowing unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users.

Recommendations

  • IMMEDIATE: Verify current ArcGIS Enterprise version and patch level
  • Apply all available security patches - prioritize CVE-2025-2538
  • Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) in front of GIS portal
  • Review access logs for signs of exploitation attempts
  • Consider network segmentation to limit potential damage
CRITICAL
ES&S ExpressVote XL
Voting System | 315 units
▼

Public Exposure: LOW - Air-gapped network
Contract Value: $2.9 Million (2019, 10-year)
Note: No formal CVEs assigned; findings from security research and documented incidents

INCIDENT-2023-11-07 Documented Incident
Ballot Display Integrity
Documented instances of vote selections displaying differently on ballot summary screen than voter intended. Multiple reports from November 2023 election. Results certified despite documented concerns.
Root Cause
Not publicly determined
Status
Certified despite concerns
DEFCON-2019-VOTING Security Research
Physical Security Vulnerabilities
DEFCON Voting Village researchers demonstrated vulnerabilities in ES&S equipment including memory card tampering potential. Requires physical access.
INCIDENT-2024-11 Operational Issue
System Throughput
6+ hour wait times reported at some polling locations during November 2024 election. Indicates capacity/performance issues or potential equipment problems.
AUDIT-GAP Compliance
Documentation Gap
150+ Logic and Accuracy (L&A) testing documents missing or incomplete. Undermines ability to verify proper pre-election testing.

Recommendations

  • Commission independent third-party security audit before next election
  • Implement rigorous pre-election testing with mandatory documentation
  • Consider parallel manual auditing for result verification
  • Evaluate alternative voting systems for future procurement
  • Ensure all L&A testing documented and retained per 25 P.S. requirements
HIGH
CountySuite / Teleosoft
Court Case Management | web.northamptoncounty.org
▼

Public Exposure: HIGH - Public portal for e-filing
Usage: Court e-filing, case management, scheduling
Note: No public CVEs found; standard web application security assessment

OWASP-A01 Assessment Needed
Broken Access Control (Potential)
Web applications handling sensitive court data should be assessed for access control vulnerabilities. Without testing, actual risk is unknown.
AI Risk: HIGH if present - Tools can enumerate access control flaws
OWASP-A03 Assessment Needed
SQL Injection (Potential)
Database-driven court systems are potential SQL injection targets. AI can automate discovery and exploitation if vulnerabilities exist.
AUDIT-FINDING Controller Audit
Workflow Compliance
Controller audits found inadequate warrant procedures at MDJ 03-3-02 and MDJ 03-2-11. System may not be enforcing proper workflow controls.

Recommendations

  • Request security audit results from Teleosoft
  • Conduct independent web application penetration test
  • Review system configuration for mandatory workflow enforcement
  • Implement additional access logging and monitoring
  • Verify PII encryption at rest and in transit
HIGH
Microsoft Active Directory
Identity Management
▼

Public Exposure: LOW - Internal network
Usage: Centralized authentication for all county employees

CVE-2020-1472 CVSS 10.0
Zerologon
Critical vulnerability allowing complete domain controller compromise without credentials. Automated exploits widely available.
Affected
Unpatched Windows Server
Fix
Apply patches + enforce secure RPC
ATTACK-KERBEROAST Attack Technique
Kerberoasting
Service accounts with weak passwords vulnerable to offline password cracking. AI significantly accelerates cracking.
ATTACK-DCSYNC Attack Technique
DCSync
If domain admin compromised, DCSync can extract all password hashes from domain controller, compromising every account.

Recommendations

  • Verify all domain controllers patched for Zerologon (CVE-2020-1472)
  • Implement tiered administration model
  • Deploy privileged access workstations (PAWs) for admins
  • Use Managed Service Accounts with strong passwords
  • Monitor for suspicious Kerberos activity
MEDIUM
Microsoft 365 Government
Email & Collaboration
▼

Public Exposure: MEDIUM - Internet-facing email
Services: Exchange, Teams, SharePoint

THREAT-PHISHING AI-Enhanced
AI-Generated Phishing
Email is the primary attack vector. AI dramatically improves phishing email generation, creating highly convincing, personalized attacks targeting government employees.
AI Risk: CRITICAL - LLMs generate convincing, context-aware phishing
THREAT-MFA-BYPASS Evolving
MFA Bypass Techniques
MFA fatigue attacks, token theft, and adversary-in-the-middle attacks continue to evolve. Basic MFA is no longer sufficient.

Recommendations

  • Enable MFA with number matching for all users
  • Deploy advanced threat protection features
  • Implement conditional access policies
  • Regular phishing simulation exercises
  • Consider phishing-resistant authentication (FIDO2 security keys)
HIGH
NG911 System (Comtech)
Emergency Communications | via PEMA
▼

Public Exposure: HIGH - Critical infrastructure
Note: State-managed system - county has limited direct control

CISA-NG911-TDOS CISA Advisory
Telephony Denial of Service (TDoS)
NG911 systems vulnerable to automated calling attacks that overwhelm call-taking capacity. AI can generate realistic spoofed emergency calls at scale.
AI Risk: HIGH - Can generate realistic voice calls with spoofed callerID

Recommendations

  • Coordinate with PEMA on security posture
  • Ensure backup communication procedures documented
  • Monitor for TDoS attack patterns
  • Verify STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication implementation

AI-Specific Threat Analysis

Artificial Intelligence significantly amplifies certain attack vectors against government systems. The following threats should be prioritized in security planning.

AI-Generated Phishing Campaigns

Large language models can generate highly convincing, personalized phishing emails targeting county employees. AI can analyze public information to craft contextually-relevant lures.

Target Systems: Microsoft 365, all user-facing systems
Mitigation: Advanced email filtering, regular security awareness training, phishing-resistant MFA (FIDO2 keys)

Automated Vulnerability Scanning & Exploitation

AI-powered tools can rapidly discover and exploit vulnerabilities in public-facing systems, significantly reducing attacker dwell time from discovery to exploitation.

Target Systems: ESRI ArcGIS, CountySuite, County Website
Mitigation: Web Application Firewall, rapid patching program, intrusion detection/prevention systems

Accelerated Credential Attacks

AI dramatically accelerates password cracking and can intelligently prioritize credential stuffing attacks based on patterns learned from breach data.

Target Systems: Active Directory, all authentication systems
Mitigation: Strong password policies, MFA everywhere, account lockout policies, breached password detection

Deepfake Voice & Video

AI can generate convincing voice and video impersonations for social engineering attacks, including fake emergency calls to 911 or impersonating executives.

Target Systems: NG911 (fake emergency calls), phone-based authentication, executive communications
Mitigation: Verification procedures for sensitive requests, caller authentication (STIR/SHAKEN), out-of-band confirmation

Automated Exploit Development

AI can analyze vulnerabilities and generate functional exploits faster than traditional methods, narrowing the window between disclosure and attacks.

Target Systems: All systems with known CVEs
Mitigation: Rapid patching (especially for critical CVEs), defense in depth, network segmentation

Prioritized Remediation Actions

# Action Justification Timeline Impact
1 Verify ESRI ArcGIS patch status for CVE-2025-2538 CVSS 9.8 critical RCE on public-facing system Immediate Critical
2 Commission independent voting system security audit Critical infrastructure with documented anomalies Before Next Election Critical
3 Web application penetration test for CountySuite Public-facing court system with sensitive data 30 Days High
4 Active Directory security assessment Central authentication - compromise affects all systems 30 Days High
5 Deploy phishing-resistant MFA (FIDO2) AI-powered phishing is primary attack vector 90 Days High
6 Implement WAF for all public web applications Defense layer against automated attacks 60 Days Medium

Next Steps

  • Present findings to IT leadership and County Council
  • Prioritize remediation based on risk assessment and available resources
  • Engage qualified security firms for detailed penetration testing
  • Establish ongoing vulnerability management program
  • Implement security awareness training program for all employees

Compliance Considerations

Security findings may have implications for regulatory compliance frameworks applicable to county operations.

CISA Election Infrastructure Security

Applies to: ES&S voting systems

Federal guidelines for securing election infrastructure. Documented voting system anomalies should be reported and independently assessed.

PA Right-to-Know Law

Applies to: All public records systems

County must ensure secure handling of public records while maintaining accessibility per 65 P.S. requirements.

Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS)

Applies to: Court systems, law enforcement

FBI CJIS Security Policy applies to systems handling criminal justice information. CountySuite and related systems must meet these requirements.

HIPAA

Applies to: Gracedale, Human Services

Protected Health Information (PHI) must be secured per HIPAA requirements. Gracedale nursing home and Human Services departments handle PHI.

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