CVE-2024-25731
Published: 05 March 2024
Summary
CVE-2024-25731 is a high-severity Use of Hard-coded Credentials (CWE-798) vulnerability in Elinksmart Esmartcam. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Network Sniffing (T1040); ranked in the top 10.0% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis
The vulnerability in CVE-2024-25731 is the presence of hardcoded AES encryption keys within the Elink Smart eSmartCam Android application version 2.1.5, identified by the package name com.cn.dq.ipc. These keys can be extracted directly from the application's binary, allowing any observer of network packet data, such as traffic captured over Wi-Fi, to bypass the intended encryption protections. The issue is tracked under CWE-798 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5 reflecting adjacent-network attack vector, high complexity, and no required privileges or user interaction.
An attacker positioned to monitor wireless network traffic can decrypt observed communications between the mobile application and associated camera devices. Successful exploitation grants the ability to read or manipulate sensitive data flows, resulting in high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability without needing authentication.
No vendor advisories, patches, or mitigation guidance are referenced in the available sources. The associated EPSS score has remained flat at 0.0503 with no indicated rise since disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2024-23041
Vulnerability details
The Elink Smart eSmartCam (com.cn.dq.ipc) application 2.1.5 for Android contains hardcoded AES encryption keys that can be extracted from a binary file. Thus, encryption can be defeated by an attacker who can observe packet data (e.g., over Wi-Fi).
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Hardcoded AES keys extractable from the app binary enable attackers to passively decrypt network traffic (e.g., Wi-Fi packets) from the Elink Smart eSmartCam app, facilitating Network Sniffing (T1040).
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.
Enables users to notice when hard-coded credentials have been exploited for unauthorized access.
Security training explicitly warns against hard-coded credentials, lowering their use in systems.
Policy and procedures prohibit hard-coded credentials in favor of managed authentication.
External identity providers eliminate the need for hard-coded credentials in applications.
Changing default authenticators prior to first use and protecting content prevents use of hard-coded credentials.
Central credential stores and rotation policies remove the need for hard-coded credentials in configuration files or code.
Intelligence programs surface reports of campaigns that abuse hard-coded credentials in products, prompting removal or replacement and thereby reducing successful exploitation.
Planned investment enables secure credential storage and management systems instead of hard-coded credentials.