←back to thread

436 points kennedn | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.215s | source
Show context
micah94 ◴[] No.45252395[source]
So we're at the point that finding hardcoded admin passwords is no big deal.
replies(5): >>45252452 #>>45252526 #>>45253010 #>>45253096 #>>45254073 #
mtlynch ◴[] No.45253010[source]
It's a hardcoded default password, not a permanent backdoor. If I'm understanding the post correctly, the user changes it as part of the onboarding flow.

This is the way most apps work if they have a default password the user is supposed to change.

replies(2): >>45253178 #>>45253581 #
bri3d ◴[] No.45253178[source]
The device should ideally have some kind of secret material derived per device, like a passphrase generated from an MCU serial number or provisioned into EEPROM and printed on a label on the device.

Some form of "enter the code on the device" or "scan the QR code on the device" could then mutually authenticate the app using proof-of-presence rather than hardcoded passwords. This can still be done completely offline with no "cloud" or other access, or "lock in"; the app just uses the device secret to authenticate with the device locally. Then the user can set a raw RTSP password if desired.

This way unprovisioned devices are not nearly as vulnerable to network-level attacks. I agree that this is Not Awful but it's also Not Good. Right now, if you buy this camera and plug it into a network and _forget_ to set it up, it's a sitting duck for the time window between network connection and setup.

replies(7): >>45253258 #>>45253284 #>>45253613 #>>45254911 #>>45255062 #>>45258381 #>>45259653 #
1. crowfunder ◴[] No.45255062[source]
> The device should ideally have some kind of secret material derived per device, like a passphrase generated from an MCU serial number or provisioned into EEPROM and printed on a label on the device.

It is better than simple secret like 12345678 but it can go wrong too, like in the case of UPC UBEE routers where the list of potential passwords can be narrowed down to like ~60 possibilities using a googled generator [1] whilst knowing only the SSID.

It did require firmware reverse engineering to figure out [2][3] but applies to most devices I've encountered. User should ideally always change the default password regardless.

[1] https://upcwifikeys.com/UPC1236567

[2] https://deadcode.me/blog/2016/07/01/UPC-UBEE-EVW3226-WPA2-Re...

[3] https://web.archive.org/web/20161127232750/http://haxx.in/up...