2269
[REF-1283]Forescout Vedere Labs. "OT:ICEFALL: The legacy of "insecure by design" and its
implications for certifications and risk management". 2022 June 0. < https://www.forescout.com/
resources/ot-icefall-report/ >.
CWE-1391: Use of Weak Credentials
Weakness ID : 1391
Structure : Simple
Abstraction : Class
Description
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.
Relationships
The table(s) below shows the weaknesses and high level categories that are related to this
weakness. These relationships are defined as ChildOf, ParentOf, MemberOr and give insight to
similar items that may exist at higher and lower levels of abstraction. In addition, relationships such
as PeerOf and CanAlsoBe are defined to show similar weaknesses that may want to be explored.
Relevant to the view "Research Concepts" (CWE-1000)
Nature Type ID Name Page
ChildOf 1390 Weak Authentication 2267
ParentOf 521 Weak Password Requirements 1223
ParentOf 798 Use of Hard-coded Credentials 1690
ParentOf 1392 Use of Default Credentials 2271
Applicable Platforms
Language : Not Language-Specific (Prevalence = Undetermined)
Operating_System : Not OS-Specific (Prevalence = Undetermined)
Architecture : Not Architecture-Specific (Prevalence = Undetermined)
Technology : ICS/OT (Prevalence = Undetermined)
Technology : Not Technology-Specific (Prevalence = Undetermined)
Demonstrative Examples
Example 1:
CWE Version 4.14
CWE-1391: Use of Weak Credentials
CWE-1391: Use of Weak Credentials