Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-49256

Exposed Creds in Hongdian H8951-4G-Esp Firmware ≤ 2310271149

Exposed Creds
Published
12 January 2024
Modified
20 June 2025
CVSS Score v3.1 7.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0047 38th percentile
Risk Priority 57 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-49256 is a high-severity Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key (CWE-321) vulnerability in Hongdian H8951-4G-Esp Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Unsecured Credentials (T1552); ranked at the 38th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to IA-5 (Authenticator Management) and SC-12 (Cryptographic Key Establishment and Management) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A04:2025 Cryptographic FailuresA07:2025 Authentication Failures

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

It is possible to download the configuration backup without authorization and decrypt included passwords using hardcoded static key.

CWE(s)
CWE-321CWE-798

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1552 Unsecured Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may search compromised systems to find and obtain insecurely stored credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
T1552.001 Credentials In Files Credential Access
Adversaries may search local file systems and remote file shares for files containing insecurely stored credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
T1552.004 Private Keys Credential Access
Adversaries may search for private key certificate files on compromised systems for insecurely stored credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
T1078 Valid Accounts Stealth
Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of existing accounts as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion.
attack.mitre.org →
T1078.001 Default Accounts Stealth
Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of a default account as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-49253Same product: Hongdian H8951-4G-Esp
CVE-2023-49257Same product: Hongdian H8951-4G-Esp
CVE-2023-49261Same product: Hongdian H8951-4G-Esp
CVE-2023-49255Same product: Hongdian H8951-4G-Esp
CVE-2023-49259Same product: Hongdian H8951-4G-Esp
CVE-2023-49258Same product: Hongdian H8951-4G-Esp
CVE-2023-49262Same product: Hongdian H8951-4G-Esp
CVE-2023-49254Same product: Hongdian H8951-4G-Esp
CVE-2023-49260Same product: Hongdian H8951-4G-Esp
CVE-2023-32077Shared CWE-321, CWE-798

Affected Assets

hongdian
h8951-4g-esp firmware
≤ 2310271149

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SC-12 Cryptographic Key Establishment and Management good match

Requiring cryptographic keys to be established and managed according to defined requirements prevents developers from embedding static unchangeable keys.

IA-5 Authenticator Management good match

Authenticator management requires secure distribution and handling of credentials, structurally discouraging hard-coded values.

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.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure-SDLC activities such as code review and secret scanning directly prevent embedding static keys.

PR.AA-01 partial match
prevents

PR.AA-01's credential/key-management processes can reduce the incentive to embed secrets but do not address or detect hard-coded values in source code, so the weakness remains fully possible.

PR.DS-01 partial match
prevents

Data-at-rest protection policies require proper key management and therefore discourage hard-coded keys.

PR.DS-02 partial match
prevents

Data-in-transit protection similarly depends on non-hard-coded keys for encryption.

PR.PS-01 partial match
prevents

Configuration baselines and reviews can prohibit hard-coded keys in deployed artifacts.

PR.AA-02 none match
prevents

PR.AA-02 addresses human identity proofing and per-person credential issuance at enrollment; it has no bearing on whether developers embed static credentials in software.

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.

A.6.3 Information security awareness, education and training partial match
prevents

Education on secure configuration practices discourages technical staff from embedding or relying on hard-coded credentials in systems and applications.

A.8.24 Use of cryptography partial match
prevents

Key-management controls that govern generation, rotation and protection of keys make the use of embedded hard-coded cryptographic keys less likely and easier to detect.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Explicit prohibition of hard-coded passwords and unauthenticated external services stops credentials from being embedded directly in source code.

A.8.30 Outsourced development partial match
prevents

Contractual requirements for secure coding practices and evidence of testing make it less likely that hard-coded credentials will be introduced or remain undetected in delivered code.

A.5.16 Identity management none match
none

Requiring independent oversight and timely disabling of non-human identities makes it harder for hard-coded or long-lived credentials to remain exploitable.

A.5.17 Authentication information none match
none

Mandating immediate replacement of vendor-supplied default credentials eliminates the use of hard-coded or factory passwords that attackers can trivially obtain from documentation or firmware.

References