What Makes This Device Vulnerable?

About this interactive

What you are doing: naming what makes each device vulnerable. The lesson starts with a new switch. Manufacturers want it to work out of the box, so it arrives insecure on purpose. Default credentials: it still logs in with the factory username and password, such as admin and admin, which anyone can look up. Unneeded open services: services and ports the maker switched on so everything just works, but that this device does not need. The more open ports and services, the more exposed it is. Outdated firmware: the vendor has released newer firmware with security fixes, but this device has not been updated. Internet of things devices and industrial control systems, like the lesson's temperature gauge in the server room, are often overlooked. End of life: the vendor no longer supports the device and releases no more updates, so new flaws stay open for good. It is now legacy equipment: replace it, or put compensating controls around it. How to use it: for a firmware card, ask whether an update exists. If it does, the firmware is outdated; if none will ever come, the device is end of life.

What you'll learn

Name the hardware vulnerability in a device: default credentials, unneeded open services, outdated firmware with an update available, or end-of-life equipment that will get no more updates

Aligned to

CompTIA Security+

2.2 Explain common threat vectors and attack surfaces.

2.3 Explain various types of vulnerabilities.

Key terms

Default Credentials: Factory-set usernames and passwords that ship with network devices, applications, and services. Default credentials must be changed immediately upon deployment because they are publicly documented and frequently targeted by automated attackers.
Firmware: Permanent software embedded in a device's non-volatile memory that controls its hardware functions and low-level operations; it bridges the hardware and any higher-level software.
End of Life: End of Life designates the point at which a vendor stops providing security patches, updates, and support for a product; systems running EOL software present elevated risk because newly discovered vulnerabilities will remain unpatched indefinitely.
Legacy Equipment: Older hardware or software that is end-of-life, no longer vendor-supported, and continues to operate on a network often with unresolved security risks.
Compensating Control: An alternative security measure implemented to offset a known risk or vulnerability when a primary control cannot be fully applied. A compensating control must provide an equivalent or greater level of protection.
Internet of Things: A network of physical devices embedded with sensors and software that connect and exchange data over the internet.

Topics

Default Credentials Firmware End Of Life Legacy Equipment Compensating Control Internet Of Things Interactive Categorize

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