CVE-2024-55021: Weintek cMT Hardcoded Password Vulnerability

CVE-2024-55021 Overview

CVE-2024-55021 is a hardcoded credentials vulnerability affecting Weintek cMT-3072XH2 Human-Machine Interface (HMI) devices running easyweb v2.1.53 with OS v20231011. The device contains a hardcoded password embedded within the FTP protocol implementation, allowing unauthorized network-based access to sensitive device data without requiring any user interaction or authentication.

Critical Impact

Attackers with network access can leverage the hardcoded FTP credentials to gain unauthorized access to the HMI device, potentially exposing industrial control system configurations, operational data, and enabling further lateral movement within OT/ICS environments.

Affected Products

• Weintek cMT-3072XH2 easyweb v2.1.53
• Weintek cMT-3072XH2 OS v20231011
• Weintek cMT-3072XH2 HMI devices with vulnerable firmware versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-03 - CVE-2024-55021 published to NVD
• 2026-03-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-55021

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from the insecure practice of embedding static credentials directly within the device firmware. The Weintek cMT-3072XH2 HMI device ships with a hardcoded password for its FTP service, which cannot be changed by end users and remains constant across all deployed devices of the same firmware version.

The attack vector is network-based, requiring no privileges or user interaction to exploit. An attacker who discovers the hardcoded credentials—either through firmware reverse engineering, public disclosure, or network traffic analysis—can authenticate to the FTP service and gain unauthorized access to the device's file system. This exposure primarily affects confidentiality, as attackers can read sensitive configuration files, project data, and potentially extract additional credentials stored on the device.

Industrial environments relying on these HMI devices for SCADA or process control applications face significant risk, as compromised HMI devices can serve as pivot points for deeper network intrusion.

Root Cause

The root cause is classified under CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command), though the vulnerability fundamentally involves hardcoded credentials (CWE-798). The Weintek firmware developers embedded static FTP credentials during development, likely for debugging, maintenance, or update purposes. These credentials were not removed or made configurable before production deployment, leaving all devices with identical, unchangeable authentication credentials.

Attack Vector

The attack exploits the network-accessible FTP service running on the Weintek cMT-3072XH2 device. An attacker on the same network segment—or with routed access to the device—can connect to the FTP port and authenticate using the publicly known hardcoded credentials.

The exploitation process involves:

1. Identifying Weintek cMT-3072XH2 devices on the network through port scanning or service enumeration
2. Connecting to the FTP service (typically port 21)
3. Authenticating with the hardcoded username and password combination
4. Accessing the device file system to retrieve configuration files, project data, or other sensitive information

Technical details and proof-of-concept information are available in the GitHub Gist PoC Repository and the Notion Analysis on Weintek Device.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-55021

Indicators of Compromise

• Unauthorized FTP connections to Weintek cMT-3072XH2 devices from unexpected source IP addresses
• Multiple successful FTP authentication events from external or untrusted network segments
• Anomalous file access patterns on HMI devices, particularly configuration or project files
• Network reconnaissance activity targeting port 21 on industrial control system networks

Detection Strategies

• Implement network intrusion detection rules to alert on FTP connections to known Weintek HMI device IP addresses
• Deploy honeypot credentials or canary files on affected devices to detect unauthorized access attempts
• Monitor authentication logs for FTP service access patterns deviating from baseline operational behavior
• Use passive network monitoring to identify any FTP traffic to/from HMI devices in OT environments

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive logging on network firewalls and IDS/IPS systems for all traffic to HMI devices
• Establish baseline network behavior for industrial devices and alert on deviations
• Integrate SentinelOne Singularity platform for endpoint visibility where applicable in converged IT/OT environments
• Conduct regular network scans to identify exposed FTP services on industrial devices

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-55021

Immediate Actions Required

• Isolate affected Weintek cMT-3072XH2 devices from untrusted network segments using network segmentation or VLANs
• Implement firewall rules to restrict FTP access to authorized management stations only
• Disable the FTP service if not operationally required
• Conduct audit of existing devices to identify all vulnerable firmware versions in the environment

Patch Information

At the time of publication, no vendor patch information is available in the CVE data. Organizations should monitor Weintek's official security advisories and support channels for firmware updates that address this hardcoded credential vulnerability. Contact Weintek support directly for remediation guidance specific to your deployment.

Workarounds

• Deploy network access control lists (ACLs) to block FTP access from all unauthorized sources
• Place affected devices behind industrial firewalls or demilitarized zones (DMZs)
• If FTP functionality is required, tunnel all FTP traffic through encrypted VPN connections
• Implement network monitoring to detect and alert on any FTP connection attempts to affected devices

# Example firewall rule to restrict FTP access (iptables)
# Allow FTP only from trusted management workstation
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 21 -s 10.0.1.100 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 21 -j DROP