Weakness (CWE)
CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials
The product contains hard-coded credentials, such as a password or cryptographic key.
How to prevent it (5 mitigations)
-
Architecture and Design
For outbound authentication: store passwords, keys, and other credentials outside of the code in a strongly-protected, encrypted configuration file or database that is protected from access by all outsiders, including other local users on the same system. Properly protect the key (CWE-320). If you cannot use encryption to protect the file, then make sure that the permissions are as restrictive as possible [REF-7].
In Windows environments, the Encrypted File System (EFS) may provide some protection.
-
Architecture and Design
For inbound authentication: Rather than hard-code a default username and password, key, or other authentication credentials for first time logins, utilize a "first login" mode that requires the user to enter a unique strong password or key.
-
Architecture and Design
If the product must contain hard-coded credentials or they cannot be removed, perform access control checks and limit which entities can access the feature that requires the hard-coded credentials. For example, a feature might only be enabled through the system console instead of through a network connection.
-
Architecture and Design
For inbound authentication using passwords: apply strong one-way hashes to passwords and store those hashes in a configuration file or database with appropriate access control. That way, theft of the file/database still requires the attacker to try to crack the password. When handling an incoming password during authentication, take the hash of the password and compare it to the saved hash.
Use randomly assigned salts for each separate hash that is generated. This increases the amount of computation that an attacker needs to conduct a brute-force attack, possibly limiting the effectiveness of the rainbow table method.
-
Architecture and Design
For front-end to back-end connections: Three solutions are possible, although none are complete.
- The first suggestion involves the use of generated passwords or keys that are changed automatically and must be entered at given time intervals by a system administrator. These passwords will be held in memory and only be valid for the time intervals.
- Next, the passwords or keys should be limited at the back end to only performing actions valid for the front end, as opposed to having full access.
- Finally, the messages sent should be tagged and checksummed with time sensitive values so as to prevent replay-style attacks.
Source: MITRE CWE-798
31 results · Clear filters · Feed
-
Critical 9.8CVE-2026-109566 Public exploit
Rapyd Admin 9.0.0 before 9.20.0 Hard-Coded Super-Admin Credentials via AuthSeeder
Rapyd Admin from 9.0.0 before 9.20.0 contains a hard-coded credentials vulnerability that allows remote unauthenticated attackers to gain super-admin access through an AuthSeeder-created admin@laravel account with password admin. The account is seeded by the …
-
Critical 9.3CVE-2026-13043 Public exploit
WatchGuard Endpoint Security Missing Authentication in Kernel Memory Access Driver Allows Arbitrary Kernel Memory Access
A missing authentication vulnerability in the Kernel Memory Access Driver (PSKMAD) used by WatchGuard endpoint security products allows a local, authenticated attacker to bypass the driver's access-control handshake and issue arbitrary privileged commands to …
-
Critical 9.8CVE-2026-38577 Public exploit
Insecure hardcoded credentials in the Admin account of Tenda HG21 V4.0.0-260302 allows attackers to gain root access.
-
Critical 9.8CVE-2021-43717 Public exploit
An issue exists in pson EH-TW5350 Epson iProjection.apk v3.2.6. If you identify a projector equipped with an iProjectio…
-
Critical 9.8CVE-2026-73519 Public exploit
WolfStack < 25.9.2 Hard-coded Secret Authentication Bypass via X-WolfStack-Secret
WolfStack before 25.9.2 contains a hard-coded cluster-authentication secret compiled into every build and published as a constant in src/auth/mod.rs, allowing remote unauthenticated attackers to bypass authentication by supplying this value in the X-WolfStack…
-
Critical 9.8CVE-2026-55579 Public exploit
Pheditor: Hardcoded default password 'admin' with no forced change enables full application compromise
Pheditor is a single-file editor and file manager written in PHP. From version 2.0.1 to before version 2.0.6, Pheditor ships with a hardcoded default password admin (SHA-512 hash stored at pheditor.php:11). There is no mechanism to force a password change on …
-
Critical 9.8CVE-2026-49352 Public exploit
9Router: Hardcoded Default fallback JWT Secret Allows Authentication Bypass
9Router is an AI router & token saver. From 0.2.21 until 0.4.44, 9Router used the hardcoded fallback JWT secret 9router-default-secret-change-me in src/app/api/auth/login/route.js, src/middleware.js, and later src/lib/auth/dashboardSession.js, allowing attack…
-
Critical 10.0CVE-2026-13768 Public exploit
Gardyn IoT Hub Use of Hard-coded Credentials
Gardyn devices expose a privileged iothubowner key. Access to this key will allow a malicious user to invoke an IoTHub Registry Manager function which returns connection information for all Gardyn Home Kit and Studio devices. Access to this key also allows a …
-
Critical 9.1CVE-2025-1242 Public exploit
Administrative Credentials Can Be Extracted Through Gardyn API Responses
The administrative credentials can be extracted through application API responses, mobile application reverse engineering, and device firmware reverse engineering. The exposure may result in an attacker gaining full administrative access to the Gardyn IoT Hub…
-
Critical 9.8CVE-2026-27507 Public exploit
Binardat 10G08-0800GSM Network Switch Hard-coded Credentials
Binardat 10G08-0800GSM network switch firmware version V300SP10260209 and prior contain hard-coded administrative credentials that cannot be changed by users. Knowledge of these credentials allows full administrative access to the device.
-
Critical 9.8
RustFS has a gRPC Hardcoded Token Authentication Bypass
RustFS is a distributed object storage system built in Rust. In versions prior to 1.0.0-alpha.78, RustFS implements gRPC authentication using a hardcoded static token `"rustfs rpc"` that is publicly exposed in the source code repository, hardcoded on both cli…
-
Critical 9.8CVE-2025-8570 Public exploit
BeyondCart Connector <= 3.0.1 - Missing Configuration of JWT Secret to Unauthenticated Privilege Escalation via determine_current_user Filter
The BeyondCart Connector plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Privilege Escalation due to improper JWT secret management and authorization within the determine_current_user filter in versions 1.4.2 through 3.0.1. This makes it possible for unauthenticated at…
-
Critical 9.8CVE-2025-8730 Public exploit
Belkin F9K1009/F9K1010 Web Interface hard-coded credentials
A vulnerability was found in Belkin F9K1009 and F9K1010 2.00.04/2.00.09 and classified as critical. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality of the component Web Interface. The manipulation leads to hard-coded credentials. The attack may be launch…
-
Critical 10.0CVE-2014-125121 Public exploit
Array Networks vAPV and vxAG Default Credential Privilege Escalation
Array Networks vAPV (version 8.3.2.17) and vxAG (version 9.2.0.34) appliances are affected by a privilege escalation vulnerability caused by a combination of hardcoded SSH credentials (or SSH private key) and insecure permissions on a startup script. The devi…
-
Critical 10.0CVE-2014-125115 Public exploit
Pandora FMS ≤ 5.0 SP2 Default Credential SQL Injection RCE
An unauthenticated SQL injection vulnerability exists in Pandora FMS version 5.0 SP2 and earlier. The mobile/index.php endpoint fails to properly sanitize user input in the loginhash_data parameter, allowing attackers to extract administrator credentials or a…
-
Critical 9.8CVE-2025-7401 Public exploit
Premium Age Verification / Restriction for WordPress <= 3.0.2 - Unauthenticated Arbitrary File Read and Write via remote_tunnel.php
The Premium Age Verification / Restriction for WordPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to arbitrary file read and write due to the existence of an insufficiently protected remote support functionality in remote_tunnel.php in all versions up to, and inclu…
-
Critical 9.8CVE-2024-57040 Public exploit
TP-Link TL-WR845N devices with firmware TL-WR845N(UN)_V4_200909 and TL-WR845N(UN)_V4_190219 was discovered to contain a…
-
Critical 9.8CVE-2024-55557 Public exploit
ui/pref/ProxyPrefView.java in weasis-core in Weasis 4.5.1 has a hardcoded key for symmetric encryption of proxy credent…
-
Critical 9.1
SolarWinds Web Help Desk Hardcoded Credential Vulnerability
The SolarWinds Web Help Desk (WHD) software is affected by a hardcoded credential vulnerability, allowing remote unauthenticated user to access internal functionality and modify data.
KEV Oct 15, 2024 -
Critical 9.0
Hard-coded JWT secret allows authentication bypass in Veeam Recovery Orchestrator
-
Critical 9.8
Authentication Bypass and RCE in man-group/dtale
man-group/dtale version 3.10.0 is vulnerable to an authentication bypass and remote code execution (RCE) due to improper input validation. The vulnerability arises from a hardcoded `SECRET_KEY` in the flask configuration, allowing attackers to forge a session…
-
Critical 9.8
D-Link DNS-320L/DNS-325/DNS-327L/DNS-340L HTTP GET Request nas_sharing.cgi hard-coded credentials
** UNSUPPORTED WHEN ASSIGNED ** A vulnerability, which was classified as very critical, has been found in D-Link DNS-320L, DNS-325, DNS-327L and DNS-340L up to 20240403. This issue affects some unknown processing of the file /cgi-bin/nas_sharing.cgi of the co…
KEV Apr 11, 2024 -
Critical 9.8CVE-2024-22853 Public exploit
D-LINK Go-RT-AC750 GORTAC750_A1_FW_v101b03 has a hardcoded password for the Alphanetworks account, which allows remote …
-
Critical 9.8
Authentication bypass in UniRPC's udadmin service
Rocket Software UniData versions prior to 8.2.4 build 3003 and UniVerse versions prior to 11.3.5 build 1001 or 12.2.1 build 2002 suffer from an authentication bypass vulnerability, where a special username with a deterministic password can be leveraged to byp…
-
Critical 9.8
The Atlassian Questions For Confluence app for Confluence Server and Data Center creates a Confluence user account in t…
KEV Jul 29, 2022 -
Critical 9.8
An issue was discovered in EyesOfNetwork 5.3. The installation uses the same API key (hardcoded as EONAPI_KEY in includ…
KEV Nov 3, 2021 -
Critical 9.8
Cisco Data Center Network Manager Authentication Bypass Vulnerabilities
Multiple vulnerabilities in the authentication mechanisms of Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and execute arbitrary actions with administrative privileges on an affected device. …
-
Critical 9.8
Cisco Data Center Network Manager Authentication Bypass Vulnerabilities
Multiple vulnerabilities in the authentication mechanisms of Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and execute arbitrary actions with administrative privileges on an affected device. …
-
Critical 9.8
Cisco Data Center Network Manager Authentication Bypass Vulnerabilities
Multiple vulnerabilities in the authentication mechanisms of Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication and execute arbitrary actions with administrative privileges on an affected device. …
-
Critical 9.8
Cisco Integrated Management Controller Supervisor, Cisco UCS Director, and Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data SCP User Default Credentials Vulnerability
A vulnerability in Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) Supervisor, Cisco UCS Director, and Cisco UCS Director Express for Big Data could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to log in to the CLI of an affected system by using the SCP User accoun…
-
Critical 9.8
Cisco Small Business Switches Privileged Access Vulnerability
A vulnerability in the Cisco Small Business Switches software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass the user authentication mechanism of an affected device. The vulnerability exists because under specific circumstances, the affected softwa…