CVE-2018-15720 in Harmony Hub
Summary
by MITRE
Logitech Harmony Hub before version 4.15.206 contained two hard-coded accounts in the XMPP server that gave remote users access to the local API.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/22/2020
The Logitech Harmony Hub represents a widely deployed home automation device that serves as a central controller for managing various smart home devices through a unified interface. This vulnerability affects firmware versions prior to 4.15.206, where the device contains two hard-coded accounts within its XMPP server implementation. These accounts are embedded within the device firmware and cannot be removed or modified by legitimate users, creating a persistent security weakness that exists across all affected installations. The presence of hard-coded credentials in networked devices represents a fundamental flaw in secure configuration management practices and violates industry standards regarding credential handling and access control mechanisms.
The technical flaw manifests through the improper implementation of authentication within the XMPP server component of the Harmony Hub. Hard-coded accounts are typically implemented as static username-password combinations that are embedded directly into the software source code or configuration files during development. These credentials are often chosen for their simplicity and ease of implementation but become catastrophic security risks when exposed to unauthorized access. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to authenticate to the local API through the XMPP server without requiring legitimate user credentials, effectively bypassing all normal authentication mechanisms. This represents a classic example of weak credential management and violates the principle of least privilege by providing persistent access to sensitive system interfaces.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass complete control over the Harmony Hub's functionality and the connected smart home ecosystem. Remote attackers who discover these hard-coded credentials can access the local API to perform actions such as adding or removing devices from the system, modifying device configurations, viewing user data, and potentially escalating privileges to gain deeper system access. The vulnerability affects not only the immediate device but also any connected smart home devices that rely on the Harmony Hub for control and coordination. This creates a potential attack surface that could be exploited to compromise the entire home automation network, making it particularly dangerous for users who depend on these systems for security monitoring and home control.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates to remove the hard-coded accounts and implement proper authentication mechanisms. Organizations and users should ensure that all Harmony Hub devices are updated to version 4.15.206 or later, which addresses this specific vulnerability through the removal of embedded credentials. Network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect unauthorized access attempts to the XMPP server ports, typically running on standard XMPP ports such as 5222 or 5269. Security professionals should also consider implementing network access controls to limit communication to the Harmony Hub to only trusted devices and networks. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-798, which addresses the use of hard-coded credentials, and represents a typical example of how improper credential management can create persistent security weaknesses in networked devices. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a credential access technique through hard-coded credentials, highlighting the importance of proper credential lifecycle management and secure configuration practices in IoT device security.