The product uses weak credentials (such as a default key or hard-coded password) that can be calculated, derived, reused, or guessed by an attacker.
By design, authentication protocols try to ensure that attackers must perform brute force attacks if they do not know the credentials such as a key or password. However, when these credentials are easily predictable or even fixed (as with default or hard-coded passwords and keys), then the attacker can defeat the mechanism without relying on brute force. Credentials may be weak for different reasons, such as: Hard-coded (i.e., static and unchangeable by the administrator) Default (i.e., the same static value across different deployments/installations, but able to be changed by the administrator) Predictable (i.e., generated in a way that produces unique credentials across deployments/installations, but can still be guessed with reasonable efficiency) Even if a new, unique credential is intended to be generated for each product installation, if the generation is predictable, then that may also simplify guessing attacks.
Threat Mapped score: 3.25
Industry: Finiancial
Threat priority: P2 - Serious (High)
CVE: [REF-1374]
Chain: JavaScript-based cryptocurrency library can fall back to the insecure Math.random() function instead of reporting a failure (CWE-392), thus reducing the entropy (CWE-332) and leading to generation of non-unique cryptographic keys for Bitcoin wallets (CWE-1391)
CVE: CVE-2022-30270
Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) uses default credentials for some SSH accounts
CVE: CVE-2022-29965
Distributed Control System (DCS) uses a deterministic algorithm to generate utility passwords
CVE: CVE-2022-30271
Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) uses a hard-coded SSH private key that is likely to be used in typical deployments
CVE: CVE-2021-38759
microcontroller board has default password, allowing admin access
CVE: CVE-2021-41192
data visualization/sharing package uses default secret keys or cookie values if they are not specified in environment variables
CVE: CVE-2020-8994
UART interface for AI speaker uses empty password for root shell
CVE: CVE-2020-27020
password manager does not generate cryptographically strong passwords, allowing prediction of passwords using guessable details such as time of generation
CVE: CVE-2020-8632
password generator for cloud application has small length value, making it easier for brute-force guessing
CVE: CVE-2020-5365
network-attached storage (NAS) system has predictable default passwords for a diagnostics/support account
CVE: CVE-2020-5248
IT asset management app has a default encryption key that is the same across installations
CVE: CVE-2018-3825
cloud cluster management product has a default master encryption key
CVE: CVE-2012-3503
Installation script has a hard-coded secret token value, allowing attackers to bypass authentication
CVE: CVE-2010-2306
Intrusion Detection System (IDS) uses the same static, private SSL keys for multiple devices and installations, allowing decryption of SSL traffic
CVE: CVE-2001-0618
Residential gateway uses the last 5 digits of the 'Network Name' or SSID as the default WEP key, which allows attackers to get the key by sniffing the SSID, which is sent in the clear
N/A
N/A
| Phase | Note |
|---|---|
| Requirements | N/A |
| Architecture and Design | N/A |
| Installation | N/A |
| Operation | N/A |
Intro: In 2022, the OT:ICEFALL study examined products by 10 different Operational Technology (OT) vendors. The researchers reported 56 vulnerabilities and said that the products were "insecure by design" [REF-1283]. If exploited, these vulnerabilities often allowed adversaries to change how the products operated, ranging from denial of service to changing the code that the products executed. Since these products were often used in industries such as power, electrical, water, and others, there could even be safety implications.
Body: Multiple OT products used weak credentials.