VulnerabilityPublished 18 Mar 2026Updated 23 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-30701: Use of Hard-coded Credentials

Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.1 Critical.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

9.1Critical

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 33% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

Given the lack of available patches or firmware updates, organizations should implement immediate and specific mitigation steps: 1) Isolate the affected WiFi Extender devices from untrusted or public networks by placing them behind firewalls or network segmentation controls to restrict remote access to the web interface. 2) Disable remote management features on the device if possible to prevent external access to the vulnerable web pages. 3) Monitor network traffic for unusual access patterns or attempts to retrieve the vulnerable web pages (login.shtml, settings.shtml) that could indicate exploitation attempts. 4) Replace affected devices with models from vendors that provide timely security updates and do not contain hardcoded credential disclosure vulnerabilities. 5) If replacement is not immediately feasible, restrict administrative access to the device to trusted internal IP addresses only. 6) Conduct regular audits of network devices to identify and inventory vulnerable hardware to prioritize remediation. 7) Educate network administrators about this vulnerability to ensure rapid response to any suspicious activity. These targeted actions go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control, monitoring, and device replacement strategies specific to this vulnerability's nature.

Description

The web interface of the WiFi Extender WDR201A (HW V2.1, FW LFMZX28040922V1.02) contains hardcoded credential disclosure mechanisms (in the form of Server Side Include) within multiple server-side web pages, including login.shtml and settings.shtml. These pages embed server-side execution directives that dynamically retrieve and expose the web administration password from non-volatile memory at runtime.

Impact

The impact of CVE-2026-30701 is severe for organizations using the affected WiFi Extender WDR201A devices. By exposing the web administration password remotely without authentication, attackers can gain full administrative control over the device. This control enables them to alter network configurations, intercept or redirect network traffic, deploy malicious firmware, or disrupt network availability, resulting in significant confidentiality and availability breaches. The vulnerability can facilitate lateral movement within internal networks, potentially compromising other connected systems. For enterprises relying on these extenders for extending secure WiFi coverage, this vulnerability undermines network security and trust. The high CVSS score reflects the potential for widespread disruption and data exposure. Additionally, since the vulnerability requires no user interaction and can be exploited remotely, it increases the likelihood of automated attacks and rapid exploitation once publicly disclosed. Organizations without immediate mitigation or device replacement face increased risk of targeted attacks, espionage, or service outages.

CWE-798Use of Hard-coded Credentials (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A07:2025: Authentication Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product contains hard-coded credentials, such as a password or cryptographic key.
Architecture and Design
For outbound authentication: store passwords, keys, and other credentials outside of the code in a strongly-protected, encrypted configuration file or database that is protected from access by all outsiders, including other local users on the same system. Properly protect the key (CWE-320).
Architecture and Design
For inbound authentication: Rather than hard-code a default username and password, key, or other authentication credentials for first time logins, utilize a "first login" mode that requires the user to enter a unique strong password or key.
Architecture and Design
If the product must contain hard-coded credentials or they cannot be removed, perform access control checks and limit which entities can access the feature that requires the hard-coded credentials. For example, a feature might only be enabled through the system console instead of through a network connection.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Key Management (opens in a new tab)
REST Security (opens in a new tab)
JSON Web Token for Java (opens in a new tab)
OWASP Authentication (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V2.10.4 (opens in a new tab)
V6.4.1 (opens in a new tab)
V3.5.2 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Read Sensitive Constants Within an Executable (opens in a new tab)
Try Common or Default Usernames and Passwords (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Mar 2026, 00:58 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-798

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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