CVE-2024-5743: EveHome Eve Play RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-5743 Overview

CVE-2024-5743 is a critical vulnerability affecting EveHome Eve Play smart home devices. The vulnerability stems from the "Use of Password Hash With Insufficient Computational Effort" (CWE-916), which allows attackers to exploit weak password hashing mechanisms to execute arbitrary code on affected devices.

This weakness occurs when a product generates password hashes using algorithms that require insufficient computational effort, making it feasible for attackers to recover the original password through brute-force or dictionary attacks. Once authentication is compromised, attackers can leverage the access to execute arbitrary code on the vulnerable device.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit weak password hashing to gain unauthorized access and execute arbitrary code on EveHome Eve Play devices without authentication, potentially compromising smart home environments.

Affected Products

• EveHome Eve Play through version 1.1.42

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-01-13 - CVE CVE-2024-5743 published to NVD
• 2025-01-13 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-5743

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability in EveHome Eve Play devices relates to inadequate password hashing implementation. Password hashing is a fundamental security control that protects stored credentials by converting plaintext passwords into fixed-length cryptographic digests. When implemented correctly, password hashing should use computationally intensive algorithms that make brute-force attacks impractical.

In this case, the Eve Play device utilizes a hashing algorithm that lacks sufficient computational effort, meaning the hash can be computed quickly. This allows attackers to efficiently perform offline brute-force attacks against captured password hashes or enables online attacks where authentication can be attempted at high speeds without rate limiting.

The vulnerability is particularly severe for IoT devices like the Eve Play, which often operate within home networks and may provide a pivot point for further attacks on connected systems.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-5743 is the implementation of a weak password hashing algorithm (CWE-916) within the Eve Play device's authentication system. Rather than using modern, computationally expensive algorithms such as bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2, the device likely employs a fast hashing function like MD5, SHA-1, or unsalted SHA-256. These algorithms can compute millions or billions of hashes per second on modern hardware, making password recovery trivial for attackers.

Additionally, the vulnerability may be compounded by missing or inadequate salt values, lack of key stretching, or insufficient iteration counts if a key derivation function is used.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker on the same network as the vulnerable device—or remotely if the device is exposed to the internet—can exploit this vulnerability through the following approach:

1. Hash Capture: The attacker intercepts or obtains password hashes from the device through network traffic analysis, API enumeration, or exploiting another information disclosure vulnerability
2. Offline Cracking: Using the weak hashing algorithm, the attacker performs rapid brute-force or dictionary attacks against the captured hashes using tools like Hashcat or John the Ripper
3. Authentication Bypass: With the recovered credentials, the attacker authenticates to the device
4. Code Execution: Once authenticated, the attacker leverages the device's functionality or additional vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability combined with the lack of authentication requirements creates significant risk for affected devices in both home and enterprise environments.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-5743

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual authentication attempts or patterns against Eve Play devices from unexpected IP addresses
• Network traffic anomalies including high-volume requests to device authentication endpoints
• Unexpected configuration changes or firmware modifications on Eve Play devices
• Suspicious process execution or network connections originating from the device

Detection Strategies

• Monitor network traffic for brute-force authentication attempts targeting Eve Play devices
• Implement network segmentation to isolate IoT devices and log cross-segment traffic
• Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) with rules for detecting rapid authentication attempts
• Enable logging on network infrastructure to capture authentication events from smart home devices

Monitoring Recommendations

• Establish baseline network behavior for Eve Play devices and alert on deviations
• Monitor for unauthorized firmware updates or configuration changes
• Track DNS queries and outbound connections from IoT devices for command-and-control indicators
• Review device access logs regularly for signs of successful compromise following failed authentication attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-5743

Immediate Actions Required

• Update EveHome Eve Play devices to firmware versions newer than 1.1.42 if available from the vendor
• Isolate affected devices on a separate network segment with restricted access
• Implement network-level authentication controls such as MAC filtering or 802.1X
• Disable remote access to Eve Play devices until patches are applied
• Monitor device behavior for signs of compromise

Patch Information

Security updates and additional information are available from the vendor. Consult the Eve Home Security Content page for the latest firmware updates and security advisories addressing this vulnerability.

Users should ensure their Eve Play devices are configured to receive automatic updates or manually check for and apply available firmware updates through the EveHome application.

Workarounds

• Place Eve Play devices behind a firewall that restricts network access to trusted hosts only
• Use a dedicated IoT VLAN to isolate smart home devices from primary network resources
• Disable any unnecessary network services or remote access features on the device
• Implement strong, unique passwords for the device even if they may be weakly hashed, as longer passwords increase cracking difficulty
• Consider temporarily disconnecting vulnerable devices from the network until a patch is available if the risk is deemed unacceptable