CWE-259: Use of Hard-coded Password

Description:
The product contains a hard-coded password, which it uses for its own inbound authentication or for outbound communication to external components.

Extended Description:
There are two main variations of a hard-coded [CREDENTIAL_REDACTED]: the product contains an authentication mechanism that checks for a hard-coded password. 
                Outbound: the product connects to another system or component, and it contains a hard-coded password for connecting to that component.

Affected languages: Not Language-Specific
Affected technologies: ICS/OT
Parent weaknesses: CWE-798, CWE-798, CWE-798

Consequences:
  - Access Control: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
  - Access Control: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity

Detection methods:
  - Manual Analysis: This weakness can be detected using tools and techniques that require manual (human) analysis, such as penetration testing, threat modeling, and interactive tools that allow the tester to record and m
  - Black Box: Use monitoring tools that examine the software's process as it interacts with the operating system and the network. This technique is useful in cases when source code is unavailable, if the software w
  - Automated Static Analysis: Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without havin

Mitigations:
  - [Architecture and Design] For outbound authentication: store passwords 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 prote
  - [Architecture and Design] For inbound authentication: Rather than hard-code a default username and password for first time logins, utilize a "first login" mode that requires the user to enter a unique strong password.
  - [Architecture and Design] Perform access control checks and limit which entities can access the feature that requires the hard-coded password. For example, a feature might only be enabled through the system console instead of through a network connection.
  - [Architecture and Design] For inbound authentication: apply strong one-way hashes to your 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 receiving an incoming password dur

Demonstrative examples:
The following code uses a hard-coded password to connect to a database:
This is an example of an external hard-coded password on the client-side of a connection. This code will run successfully, but anyone who has access to it will have access to the password. Once the program has shipped, there is no going back from the database user "scott" with a password of "tiger" unless the program is patched. A devious employee with access to this information can use it to break into the system. Even worse, if attackers have access to the bytecode for application, they can use the javap -c command to access the disassembled code, which will contain the values of the passwords used. The result of this operation might look something like the following for the example above:
... DriverManager.getConnec

The following code is an example of an internal hard-coded password in the back-end:
Every instance of this program can be placed into diagnostic mode with the same password. Even worse is the fact that if this program is distributed as a binary-only distribution, it is very difficult to change that password or disable this "functionality."
int VerifyAdmin(char *password) { 
                         if (strcmp(password, "Mew!")) { 
                               
                                 printf("Incorrect Password!\n"); return(0); 
                            } printf("Entering Diagnostic Mode...\n"); return(1); 
                      }
int VerifyAdmin(String password) { if (!password.equals("Mew!")) { return(0); } //Diagnostic Mode return(1); }

Real-world examples:
  - CVE-2022-29964: Distributed Control System (DCS) has hard-coded passwords for local shell access
  - CVE-2021-37555: Telnet service for IoT feeder for dogs and cats has hard-coded password [REF-1288]
  - CVE-2021-35033: Firmware for a WiFi router uses a hard-coded password for a BusyBox shell, allowing bypass of authentication through the UART port