CAPEC-70
Try Common or Default Usernames and Passwords
An adversary may try certain common or default usernames and passwords to gain access into the system and perform unauthorized actions. An adversary may try an intelligent brute force using empty passwords, known vendor default credentials, as well as a dictionary of common usernames and passwords. Many vendor products come preconfigured with default (and thus well-known) usernames and passwords that should be deleted prior to usage in a production environment. It is a common mistake to forget to remove these default login credentials. Another problem is that users would pick very simple (common) passwords (e.g. "secret" or "password") that make it easier for the attacker to gain access to the system compared to using a brute force attack or even a dictionary attack using a full dictionary.
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Explain the attack pattern CAPEC-70: Try Common or Default Usernames and Passwords: how it unfolds, what it needs and how to prevent and detect it in my systems. Use https://capec.mitre.org/data/definitions/70.html and https://cve.bz/cve/capec/70?via=ask-ai-copy, which lists recent CVEs with the weaknesses it exploits. Cite the sources.Opens a third-party assistant; its answer is its own, not cve.bz's. The prompt holds only this attack pattern's id and public links.
Prerequisites
The system uses one factor password based authentication.The adversary has the means to interact with the system.
Skills required
- Low skill
An adversary just needs to gain access to common default usernames/passwords specific to the technologies used by the system. Additionally, a brute force attack leveraging common passwords can be easily realized if the user name is known.
Resources required
Technology or vendor specific list of default usernames and passwords.
Signs of an attack
Many incorrect login attempts are detected by the system.
Consequences
| Impact | Affects | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gain Privileges | Confidentiality, Access Control, Authorization |
Mitigations
Delete all default account credentials that may be put in by the product vendor.
Implement a password throttling mechanism. This mechanism should take into account both the IP address and the log in name of the user.
Put together a strong password policy and make sure that all user created passwords comply with it. Alternatively automatically generate strong passwords for users.
Passwords need to be recycled to prevent aging, that is every once in a while a new password must be chosen.
Weaknesses it exploits
- CWE-262 Not Using Password Aging
- CWE-263 Password Aging with Long Expiration
- CWE-308 Use of Single-factor Authentication
- CWE-309 Use of Password System for Primary Authentication
- CWE-521 Weak Password Requirements
- CWE-654 Reliance on a Single Factor in a Security Decision
- CWE-798 Use of Hard-coded Credentials
Recent CVEs with these weaknesses
- 9.3CVE-2026-125086
A vulnerability has been found in D-Link M60 1.12.B01. Impacted is the function system of the file /etc/emDaemon/mosquitto.conf of the component emDaemon MQTT Broker. Such manipulation leads to hard-coded credentials. The attack can be exe…
- 5.5CVE-2026-125079
A vulnerability was determined in D-Link DCS-6501LH 3.03.02. This impacts the function pf_get_onvif_user_pwd/mydlink_default_sys_info of the file /mnt/conf/SystemConfig.ini of the component Media Service. This manipulation of the argument …
- 6.2CVE-2026-124603
An API key is hardcoded and retrievable from the GV-Cloud application package. Since Android applications can be reverse engineered, embedding sensitive API credentials directly in the client application may allow unauthorized users to ext…
- 6.2CVE-2026-124601
An API key is hardcoded and retrievable from the GV-Access package. Since Android applications can be reverse engineered, embedding sensitive API credentials directly in the client application may allow unauthorized users to extract and mi…
- 7.6CVE-2026-107243
The Node.js web service on VOS (previously Versa FlexVNF) is used for URL-based Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) of the VOS appliance and is not required after provisioning is complete. The express-session middleware in server.js is configure…
- 7.8CVE-2026-103906
Use of hard-coded MQTT credentials in the AM CLUB mobile application allows an authenticated attacker to connect to the MQTT broker and access data or perform actions across tenant boundaries.
- 5.5CVE-2026-124624
A weakness has been identified in PipraPay 3.0.0. Affected by this vulnerability is the function hash_hmac of the file pp-content/pp-include/pp-adapter.php of the component pp-token anti-CSRF Handler. Executing a manipulation can lead to h…
- 7.2CVE-2026-118790
Multiple hardcoded credentials are embedded within product components and administrative functionalities. These credentials may enable unauthorized access to privileged accounts, services, or application features across affected deployment…
The newest records naming one of them. Each weakness's page lists them all.
Related attack patterns
- Part of
- CAPEC-49 Password Brute Forcing
Examples
A user sets their password to "123" or intentionally leaves their password blank. If the system does not have…
A user sets their password to "123" or intentionally leaves their password blank. If the system does not have password strength enforcement against a sound password policy, this password may be admitted. Passwords like these two examples are two simple and common passwords that are easily able to be guessed by the adversary.
Cisco 2700 Series Wireless Location Appliances (version 2.1.34.0 and earlier) have a default administrator us…
Cisco 2700 Series Wireless Location Appliances (version 2.1.34.0 and earlier) have a default administrator username "root" with a password "password". This allows remote attackers to easily obtain administrative privileges. See also: CVE-2006-5288
In April 2019, adversaries attacked several popular IoT devices (a VOIP phone, an office printer, and a video…
In April 2019, adversaries attacked several popular IoT devices (a VOIP phone, an office printer, and a video decoder) across multiple customer locations. An investigation conducted by the Microsoft Security Resposne Center (MSRC) discovered that these devices were used to gain initial access to corporate networks. In two of the cases, the passwords for the devices were deployed without changing the default manufacturer’s passwords and in the third instance the latest security update had not been applied to the device. [REF-572]
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