All news with #default credentials tag

🔊 Denver's newly installed pedestrian audio units on East Colfax Avenue were hijacked over the weekend to broadcast explicit anti-Trump messages in a robotic voice, startling pedestrians. Officials report the devices were activated while still using factory-default credentials; passwords have since been changed and police are investigating. The tampering created a safety hazard for people with visual impairments and echoes prior incidents involving Polara crosswalk systems.

🔍Salesforce has warned that a threat actor is using a customized version of the open-source tool AuraInspector to mass-scan publicly accessible Experience Cloud sites and exploit overly permissive guest user configurations. The modified tool can both identify vulnerable API endpoints and extract data from misconfigured environments without authentication. Salesforce says the activity targets customer configuration weaknesses rather than a platform flaw and urges customers to review guest user settings and follow recommended configuration guidance.

🛡️ AWS security researchers report a Russian-speaking attacker compromised more than 600 FortiGate firewalls between January 11 and February 18, 2026, by exploiting weak or default passwords rather than product vulnerabilities. The actor used a Google Gemini-based AI tool to pivot to additional hosts and deployed reconnaissance tools written in Go and Python. Analysts found clear signs of AI-assisted code generation. Experts urge strong passwords and enabling MFA.

🤖 Amazon Threat Intelligence says a Russian-speaking actor used commercial generative AI services to compromise hundreds of FortiGate firewalls by exploiting exposed management interfaces and weak, single-factor credentials. Between Jan. 11 and Feb. 18 the group breached over 600 devices across 55+ countries, then accessed Active Directory, extracted credential databases, and targeted backups. Amazon recommends fundamental controls — restrict management access, enforce MFA, patch perimeter devices, improve segmentation, and enhance detection — noting the attacker’s toolkit and operational plans were largely AI-generated and publicly left on infrastructure used in the campaign.

🔒 Hitachi Energy has disclosed a default-credentials vulnerability in SuprOS (CVE-2025-7740) affecting versions up to 9.2.1 and 9.2.2.0. Exploitation allows an authenticated local actor to use an admin account created during deployment, risking confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Hitachi Energy recommends applying the vendor update, removing unwanted accounts, and changing default passwords immediately. CISA assigns a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8 and highlights impacts to critical infrastructure sectors.

⚠️ Palo Alto discovered last year that several municipal crosswalk signal controllers were accessible with unchanged factory credentials. City staff never replaced the devices' default passwords, which allowed unauthorized parties to alter pedestrian signal timing remotely. The incident underscores failures in procurement and operational security. It also illustrates the need for continuous asset inventory, patching, and credential management across infrastructure.

🔐 A new wave of GoBruteforcer botnet attacks is targeting exposed FTP, MySQL, PostgreSQL and phpMyAdmin services used by cryptocurrency and blockchain projects. Check Point reports the Golang-based botnet brute-forces weak or default credentials—often from servers deployed with AI-generated configuration snippets—and then deploys web shells and downloader stages. The malware scans random public IPv4s, spawning up to 95 threads while skipping private, AWS, and U.S. government ranges. Administrators are advised to remove defaults, audit exposed services, and replace outdated stacks like XAMPP.

📷 South Korean authorities arrested four suspects after roughly 120,000 internet-connected IP cameras in homes and businesses were breached and sexually explicit footage was sold on an overseas adult site. Investigators indicate attackers likely exploited weak or default credentials and unpatched device software. Owners should replace factory passwords, use unique credentials and enable two-factor authentication; consider a reputable password manager such as Kaspersky Password Manager to generate and store strong, random passwords and one-time codes.

⚠ ABB FLXeon devices are affected by multiple high-severity vulnerabilities, including hard-coded credentials, MD5 password hashing without proper salt, and improper input validation that can enable remote code execution. Combined CVSS v4 scores reach up to 8.7 and successful exploitation could allow remote control, arbitrary code execution, or device crashes. ABB and CISA advise disconnecting Internet-exposed units, applying the latest firmware, enforcing physical access controls, and using secure remote-access methods such as properly configured VPNs.

🔐 In episode 439 of Smashing Security, Graham Cluley and guest Annabel Berry examine a reported critical infrastructure hack that allegedly exploited default passwords and featured perpetrators boasting on Telegram. They probe how basic misconfigurations can cascade into major incidents and spotlight the human cost of defending organisations — stress, burnout, and leadership failures. The show pairs this sober analysis with lighter cultural asides, including music and media reflections.

🔍 Forescout observed pro‑Russian hacktivist group TwoNet compromise a realistic water‑treatment honeypot in September, moving from initial access to disruptive actions in roughly 26 hours. The attackers used default credentials and SQL enumeration, then exploited a stored XSS (CVE-2021-26829) to display the message "Hacked by Barlati," altered HMI PLC setpoints and disabled real‑time updates and logs. Researchers urge strong authentication, network segmentation, IP-based ACLs for admin interfaces, and protocol-aware detection to spot exploitation and HMI changes.

⚠️ Dover Fueling Solutions disclosed critical vulnerabilities in its ProGauge MagLink LX4, LX4 Plus, and LX4 Ultimate tank monitors that may be exploited remotely. Identified issues include an integer overflow (CVE-2025-55068), a hard-coded cryptographic signing key (CVE-2025-54807), and non‑changeable weak default root credentials (CVE-2025-30519), with ratings up to CVSS v4 9.3. Affected firmware must be updated to 4.20.3 for LX4/LX4 Plus or 5.20.3 for LX4 Ultimate; operators are urged to minimize network exposure and place devices behind firewalls.

🔒 McDonald's reportedly configured a major corporate system with the password 123456, illustrating a glaring failure in basic security hygiene. That weak credential makes systems trivially susceptible to brute-force and credential-stuffing attacks and indicates lax oversight of password policies, privileged accounts, and access controls. Immediate remediation should include forcing password rotation, deploying multi-factor authentication, implementing centralized secrets management, and auditing privileged access.