CWE-1391

Name

Use of Weak Credentials

Status

Incomplete

Published

2022-10-13
00h00 +00:00

Modified

2025-12-11
00h00 +00:00

Official links

CWE Mitre.org

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Name: 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.

General Informations

Modes Of Introduction

Requirements
Architecture 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)

Common Consequences

Scope	Impact	Likelihood
Access Control	Bypass Protection Mechanism Note: An adversary could bypass intended authentication restrictions.

Observed Examples

References	Description
[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-2022-30270	Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) uses default credentials for some SSH accounts
CVE-2022-29965	Distributed Control System (DCS) uses a deterministic algorithm to generate utility passwords
CVE-2022-30271	Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) uses a hard-coded SSH private key that is likely to be used in typical deployments
CVE-2021-38759	microcontroller board has default password, allowing admin access
CVE-2021-41192	data visualization/sharing package uses default secret keys or cookie values if they are not specified in environment variables
CVE-2020-8994	UART interface for AI speaker uses empty password for root shell
CVE-2020-27020	password manager does not generate cryptographically strong passwords, allowing prediction of passwords using guessable details such as time of generation
CVE-2020-8632	password generator for cloud application has small length value, making it easier for brute-force guessing
CVE-2020-5365	network-attached storage (NAS) system has predictable default passwords for a diagnostics/support account
CVE-2020-5248	IT asset management app has a default encryption key that is the same across installations
CVE-2018-3825	cloud cluster management product has a default master encryption key
CVE-2012-3503	Installation script has a hard-coded secret token value, allowing attackers to bypass authentication
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-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

Potential Mitigations

Phases : Architecture and Design // Operation
When the user changes or sets a password, check the password against a database of already compromised or breached passwords. These passwords are likely to be used in password guessing attacks.

Vulnerability Mapping Notes

Justification : This CWE entry is a Class and might have Base-level children that would be more appropriate
Comment : Examine children of this entry to see if there is a better fit

References

REF-1303

Researchers Out Default Passwords Packaged With ICS/SCADA Wares
Kelly Jackson Higgins.
https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint-security/researchers-out-default-passwords-packaged-with-ics-scada-wares

REF-1304

ICS Alert (ICS-ALERT-13-164-01): Medical Devices Hard-Coded Passwords
ICS-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 management
Forescout Vedere Labs.
https://www.forescout.com/resources/ot-icefall-report/

Submission

Name	Organization	Date	Date release	Version
CWE Content Team	MITRE	2022-10-06 +00:00	2022-10-13 +00:00	4.9

Modifications

Name	Organization	Date	Comment
CWE Content Team	MITRE	2023-01-31 +00:00	updated Applicable_Platforms, Demonstrative_Examples, Observed_Examples, References
CWE Content Team	MITRE	2023-04-27 +00:00	updated References, Relationships
CWE Content Team	MITRE	2023-06-29 +00:00	updated Mapping_Notes, Taxonomy_Mappings
CWE Content Team	MITRE	2024-02-29 +00:00	updated Observed_Examples, References
CWE Content Team	MITRE	2024-11-19 +00:00	updated Observed_Examples
CWE Content Team	MITRE	2025-09-09 +00:00	updated References
CWE Content Team	MITRE	2025-12-11 +00:00	updated Common_Consequences, Description, Potential_Mitigations, References, Relationships, Weakness_Ordinalities

CWE-1391 Detail