# Firmware contains a reusable shared authentication credential

An attacker-accessible firmware artifact embeds a credential that grants protected access, potentially across multiple devices.

**Candidate CWE:** [CWE-798](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/798.html)

## Test hypothesis

Classify the value offline; compare authentic owned-device artifacts if available and validate its role only against a local fixture or owned service. Establish whether it is per-device or shared.

## Evidence required

Affected image hashes, redacted credential location/type, privilege granted and controlled local authentication result.

## Rule out false positives

Public certificates, example passwords, unusable build secrets and hashes without a demonstrated authentication path remain leads.

## Playbook and command references

- [Hardware interfaces: production debug access and protected data](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/modules/hardware-interfaces.html) — Distinguish diagnostic output from privileged UART, JTAG/SWD and firmware-secret boundary failures on an owned lab unit.
- [Source review: entry point to protected operation](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/modules/source-dataflow.html) — Trace attacker control and authorization through handlers, services, queues, and sensitive operations; promote only reachable violations of a stated invariant.

[Find the associated command snippets](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/commands.html?q=Hardware%20interfaces%3A%20production%20debug%20access%20and%20protected%20data)

## Referenced by these target playbooks

[Hardware & firmware](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/hardware.html) · [Network services](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/network.html) · [OSS & self-hosted](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/oss.html)

## Report checklist

- [ ] Capture the affected version, configuration, identities, and object ownership.
- [ ] Preserve a valid baseline and a negative control.
- [ ] Reproduce the forbidden data access, action, or state change on controlled fixtures.
- [ ] Explain the intended security rule and why the observed behavior violates it.
- [ ] State prerequisites, uncertainty, cleanup, and the smallest demonstrated impact.

## Conditional ATT&CK mapping

- [T1552.001 · Unsecured Credentials: Credentials In Files](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/attack.html#T1552-001) — **Only if:** The tested path retrieves credentials from insufficiently protected configuration, source, log, archive, or other files; retain only redacted evidence and location details. **Not established by:** A high-entropy string, sample credential, or accessible file without authentication material is insufficient. Reading arbitrary non-secret data is a different behavior.

## Primary references

- [OWASP installed firmware](https://github.com/OWASP/owasp-istg/blob/main/src/03_test_cases/firmware/installed_firmware.md)

[Back to the complete vulnerability catalog](https://bug-bounty-field-manual.kmahshooq.chatgpt.site/vulnerabilities.html)