Password used to access a device during its initial setup or after resetting to factory defaults
WiFi Router with default password "password"
Where a device needs a username and/or password to log in, a default password is usually provided to access the device during its initial setup, or after resetting to factory defaults.
Manufacturers of such equipment typically use a simple password, such as admin or password on all equipment they ship, expecting users to change the password during configuration. The default username and password are usually found in the instruction manual (common for all devices) or on the device itself. [citation needed]
Default passwords are one of the major contributing factors to large-scale compromises of home routers.[1] Leaving such a password on devices available to the public is a major security risk.[2][3][4][5] There are several Proof-of-Concept (POC), as well as real world worms running across internet, which are configured to search for systems set with a default username and password. Voyager Alpha Force, Zotob, and MySpooler are a few examples of POC malware which scan the Internet for specific devices and try to log in using the default credentials.[6]
In the real world, many forms of malware, such as Mirai, have used this vulnerability. Once devices have been compromised by exploiting the Default Credential vulnerability, they can themselves be used for various harmful purposes, such as carrying out Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. In one particular incident, a hacker was able to gain access and control of a large number of networks including those of University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Imagination, Capital Market Strategies L, by leveraging the fact that they were using the default credentials for their NetGear switch.[7]
Some devices (such as wireless routers) will have unique default router usernames and passwords printed on a sticker, which is more secure than a common default password. Some vendors will however derive the password from the device's MAC address using a known algorithm, in which case the password can also be easily reproduced by attackers.[8]
^Niemietz, Marcus; Schwenk, Joerg (2015). "Owning Your Home Network: Router Security Revisited". arXiv:1506.04112 [cs.CR].
^"The Risk of Default Passwords". Security Laboratory: Methods of Attack Series. SANS. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
^Opaska, Walter P. (1986-09-01). "Closing the VAX Default Password "Backdoor"". EDPACS. 14 (3): 6–9. doi:10.1080/07366988609450370. ISSN 0736-6981.
^Shafiq, Muhammad; Gu, Zhaoquan; Cheikhrouhou, Omar; Alhakami, Wajdi; Hamam, Habib (2022-08-03). Lakshmanna, Kuruva (ed.). "The Rise of "Internet of Things": Review and Open Research Issues Related to Detection and Prevention of IoT-Based Security Attacks". Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing. 2022: 1–12. doi:10.1155/2022/8669348. ISSN 1530-8677.
^"The Risk of Default Passwords". Sans Security Laboratory. SANS Technology Institute. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
^"If your router is still using the default password, change it now!". IT World. IDG Communications, Inc. 7 December 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
^"Reversing D-Link's WPS Pin Algorithm". Embedded Device Hacking. 31 October 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
and/or password to log in, a defaultpassword is usually provided to access the device during its initial setup, or after resetting to factory defaults. Manufacturers...
and setup Default password, allows the device to be accessed during its initial setup, or after resetting to factory defaultsdefaults (software), a command...
a user's password. The password entered by the user is run through a key derivation function to create a hashed version of the new password, which is...
a changed defaultpassword. It had around 100,000 listed cameras. "Insecam Web site should terrify those who use a default webcam password". PCWorld....
Password strength is a measure of the effectiveness of a password against guessing or brute-force attacks. In its usual form, it estimates how many trials...
attacks than SHA-512. It is based on Scrypt. Lyra2 Password Hashing Competition "Changes/yescrypt as default hashing method for shadow". Retrieved 2023-10-10...
protected by any combination of a master password, a key file, and the current Windows account details. By default, the KeePass database is stored on a local...
be protected with a user-provided password. There are two types of passwords that can be set to a document: A password to encrypt a document restricts opening...
LastPass is a password manager application. The standard version of LastPass comes with a web interface, but also includes plugins for various web browsers...
A default gateway is the node in a computer network using the Internet protocol suite that serves as the forwarding host (router) to other networks when...
Cimpanu, Catalin. "A quarter of major CMSs use outdated MD5 as the defaultpassword hashing scheme". ZDNet. Retrieved 17 June 2019. M.M.J. Stevens (June...
various passwords, software licenses, and other sensitive information in a virtual vault that is locked with a PBKDF2-guarded master password. By default, the...
similar command su, users must, by default, supply their own password for authentication, rather than the password of the target user. After authentication...
an authentication system, have default usernames and passwords. If not properly changed, anyone who knows the default configuration can successfully authenticate...
Rosebud, a cheat code featured in the video game The Sims from Maxis The defaultpassword in the tutorial hacking mission in the video game Uplink Rosebud, a...
for an HTTP user agent (e.g. a web browser) to provide a user name and password when making a request. In basic HTTP authentication, a request contains...
reference to his complex surname being similar to an internet router's defaultpassword. Xhekaj's debut season came to an end when he sustained a season-ending...
and password) for this access to these computers across a public network in an unsecured way, poses a great risk of 3rd parties obtaining the password and...
to ask them for their password before doing administrative actions. In some cases the actual root account is disabled by default, so it can't be directly...
Statistically, the possibility of recovering the password depends on the password strength. Word's 2003/XP version default protection remained the same but an option...
these (when available) was not made the default mode until version 12. As of version 45, the Google Chrome password manager is no longer integrated with...
web interface. All generations of the DRAC use the default user name root and the defaultpassword calvin. Starting with the DRAC 3, Microsoft Active...
hash by default. Kerberos is used in Active Directory Environments. The major weaknesses of LAN Manager authentication protocol are: Password length is...
2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020. "The SolarWinds Perfect Storm: DefaultPassword, Access Sales and More". threatpost.com. Archived from the original...
Global Information