CVE-2023-3028
Auth Bypass in Hopechart Hqt401 Firmware 201808021036
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-3028 is a high-severity Improper Authentication (CWE-287) vulnerability in Hopechart Hqt401 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 8.6 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Network Sniffing (T1040); ranked at the 8th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-43720
Vulnerability Data
Insufficient authentication in the MQTT backend (broker) allows an attacker to access and even manipulate the telemetry data of the entire fleet of vehicles using the HopeChart HQT-401 telematics unit. Other models are possibly affected too. Multiple vulnerabilities were identified:…
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- The MQTT backend does not require authentication, allowing unauthorized connections from an attacker. - The vehicles publish their telemetry data (e.g. GPS Location, speed, odometer, fuel, etc) as messages in public topics. The backend also sends commands to the vehicles as MQTT posts in public topics. As a result, an attacker can access the confidential data of the entire fleet that is managed by the backend. - The MQTT messages sent by the vehicles or the backend are not encrypted or authenticated. An attacker can create and post messages to impersonate a vehicle or the backend. The attacker could then, for example, send incorrect information to the backend about the vehicle's location. - The backend can inject data into a vehicle´s CAN bus by sending a specific MQTT message on a public topic. Because these messages are not authenticated or encrypted, an attacker could impersonate the backend, create a fake message and inject CAN data in any vehicle managed by the backend. The confirmed version is 201808021036, however further versions have been also identified as potentially impacted.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Training on authentication mechanisms and best practices decreases the occurrence of improper authentication.
Mandating documentation of security requirements for exchanges includes specifying and enforcing authentication mechanisms between systems.
Implementation guidance and monitoring requirements force proper authentication mechanisms for VoIP endpoints and sessions.
Mandates cryptographic protection of the wireless medium, eliminating cleartext transmission of sensitive information over the air.
Detects unauthorized successful logons resulting from improper authentication implementations.
Documented procedures ensure personnel are trained on authentication mechanisms, tangibly lowering the risk of improper authentication being exploited.
Security awareness training instructs users on secure authentication practices and avoiding credential compromise.
Non-repudiation requires strong authentication mechanisms to irrefutably attribute performed actions to specific individuals or processes.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Encryption of data-in-transit directly prevents cleartext transmission while the control also addresses integrity and availability.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Mandating cryptographic protection and stronger authentication on public networks stops the transmission of plaintext sensitive information.
Mandating segregated approval and oversight for non-human identities reduces the chance that weak or orphaned credentials can be exploited for unauthorized authentication.
A.5.17 directly mandates generation of non-guessable unique secrets, secure transmission, immediate change of defaults/temporary creds, strong password enforcement, no-reuse, and compromise response, which stops most improper-authentication exploits at source; the bounded remainder is non-password authentication methods and sufficiency-of-proof cases (e.g. IA-2/IA-5 enhancements) left to other controls.
Hardening callouts derived
DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.
- No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-287, a class-level weakness. Rules are authored against its narrower children: CWE-295, CWE-306.
- No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-345, a class-level weakness. Rules are authored against its narrower children: CWE-347, CWE-348, CWE-349, CWE-353, CWE-354, CWE-494, CWE-649, CWE-924.