CWE-1391
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Use of Weak Credentials
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.
Extended Description
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.
Informations
Modes Of Introduction
RequirementsArchitecture and Design
Installation
Operation
Applicable Platforms
Language
Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined)Operating Systems
Class: Not OS-Specific (Undetermined)Architectures
Class: Not Architecture-Specific (Undetermined)Technologies
Class: ICS/OT (Undetermined)Class: Not Technology-Specific (Undetermined)
Observed Examples
| Reference | Description |
|---|---|
| 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) | |
| Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) uses default credentials for some SSH accounts | |
| Distributed Control System (DCS) uses a deterministic algorithm to generate utility passwords | |
| Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) uses a hard-coded SSH private key that is likely to be used in typical deployments | |
| microcontroller board has default password, allowing admin access | |
| data visualization/sharing package uses default secret keys or cookie values if they are not specified in environment variables | |
| UART interface for AI speaker uses empty password for root shell | |
| password manager does not generate cryptographically strong passwords, allowing prediction of passwords using guessable details such as time of generation | |
| password generator for cloud application has small length value, making it easier for brute-force guessing | |
| network-attached storage (NAS) system has predictable default passwords for a diagnostics/support account | |
| IT asset management app has a default encryption key that is the same across installations | |
| Installation script has a hard-coded secret token value, allowing attackers to bypass authentication | |
| Intrusion Detection System (IDS) uses the same static, private SSL keys for multiple devices and installations, allowing decryption of SSL traffic | |
| 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 |
Vulnerability Mapping Notes
Rationale : This CWE entry is a Class and might have Base-level children that would be more appropriateComments : Examine children of this entry to see if there is a better fit
References
REF-1303
Researchers Out Default Passwords Packaged With ICS/SCADA WaresKelly Jackson Higgins.
https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint/researchers-out-default-passwords-packaged-with-ics-scada-wares
REF-1304
ICS Alert (ICS-ALERT-13-164-01): Medical Devices Hard-Coded PasswordsICS-CERT.
https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-alerts/ics-alert-13-164-01
REF-1283
OT:ICEFALL: The legacy of "insecure by design" and its implications for certifications and risk managementForescout Vedere Labs.
https://www.forescout.com/resources/ot-icefall-report/
REF-1374
Randstorm: You Can't Patch a House of CardsUnciphered.
https://www.unciphered.com/blog/randstorm-you-cant-patch-a-house-of-cards
Submission
| Name | Organization | Date | Date Release | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | 4.9 |
Modifications
| Name | Organization | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Applicable_Platforms, Demonstrative_Examples, Observed_Examples, References | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated References, Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Mapping_Notes, Taxonomy_Mappings | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Observed_Examples, References |
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