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Attack Tree Analysis for nodemcu/nodemcu-firmware

Objective: Compromise Application using NodeMCU Firmware Vulnerabilities

Attack Tree Visualization

Root: Compromise Application via NodeMCU Firmware Exploitation CRITICAL NODE (Root Goal) ├── 1. Exploit Network-Based Vulnerabilities (OR) HIGH-RISK PATH │ ├── 1.1. Compromise Wi-Fi Network (AND) HIGH-RISK PATH, CRITICAL NODE │ │ ├── 1.1.1. Brute-force/Dictionary Attack on Wi-Fi Password CRITICAL NODE │ │ ├── 1.1.2. Exploit WPS Vulnerabilities CRITICAL NODE │ │ └── 1.1.3. Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attack on Wi-Fi Handshake CRITICAL NODE │ └── 1.2. Exploit NodeMCU Network Services (AND) HIGH-RISK PATH, CRITICAL NODE │ ├── 1.2.1. Exploit Vulnerabilities in Web Server (if enabled) CRITICAL NODE │ │ ├── 1.2.1.2. Directory Traversal Vulnerability CRITICAL NODE │ │ └── 1.2.1.3. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) via Web Interface (if present) CRITICAL NODE │ ├── 1.2.2. Exploit Vulnerabilities in MQTT Client/Broker (if used) CRITICAL NODE │ │ ├── 1.2.2.1. MQTT Broker Authentication Bypass CRITICAL NODE │ │ └── 1.2.2.2. MQTT Topic Injection/Subscription Hijacking CRITICAL NODE │ └── 1.2.3. Exploit Vulnerabilities in other Network Protocols (e.g., Telnet, FTP - if enabled) CRITICAL NODE │ └── 1.2.3.1. Default Credentials for Telnet/FTP CRITICAL NODE └── 2. Exploit Firmware-Specific Vulnerabilities (OR) └── 2.3. Injection Vulnerabilities (AND) HIGH-RISK PATH, CRITICAL NODE ├── 2.3.1. Lua Injection via Unsanitized Input CRITICAL NODE └── 2.3.2. Command Injection via os.execute() or similar functions CRITICAL NODE └── 4. Social Engineering (OR) HIGH-RISK PATH └── 4.1. Social Engineering (AND) HIGH-RISK PATH └── 4.1.1. Phishing for Credentials or Access CRITICAL NODE └── 4.2. Physical Access to NodeMCU Device (OR) └── 4.2.1. Direct Access to Serial Port for Firmware Flashing/Debugging CRITICAL NODE

Attack Tree Path: Compromise Application via NodeMCU Firmware Exploitation (Root Goal - CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: The attacker's ultimate objective is to gain unauthorized access or control over the application utilizing NodeMCU firmware.
  • Likelihood: High (Aggregated likelihood of all sub-attacks)
  • Impact: High (Full compromise of application and potentially underlying systems)
  • Effort: Variable (Depends on chosen attack path)
  • Skill Level: Variable (Depends on chosen attack path)
  • Detection Difficulty: Variable (Depends on chosen attack path)

Attack Tree Path: Exploit Network-Based Vulnerabilities (HIGH-RISK PATH, CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Attackers target vulnerabilities related to network communication and services exposed by the NodeMCU device.

  • Likelihood: High

  • Impact: High (Network access, device compromise, data interception)

  • Effort: Low to Medium

  • Skill Level: Low to Medium

  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

    • Actionable Insight: Implement strong network security measures, minimize exposed services, use secure protocols, and monitor network traffic.

Attack Tree Path: Compromise Wi-Fi Network (HIGH-RISK PATH, CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Attackers aim to breach the Wi-Fi network to which the NodeMCU device is connected.

  • Likelihood: Medium

  • Impact: High (Full network access, device compromise)

  • Effort: Low

  • Skill Level: Low

  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

    *   **Actionable Insight:** Enforce strong Wi-Fi passwords, disable WPS, use WPA3 if possible, monitor for suspicious network activity.

Attack Tree Path: Brute-force/Dictionary Attack on Wi-Fi Password (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Attempting to guess the Wi-Fi password using automated tools and lists of common passwords.
  • Likelihood: Medium (Depends on password strength)
  • Impact: High (Full network access)
  • Effort: Low
  • Skill Level: Low
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

Attack Tree Path: Exploit WPS Vulnerabilities (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Exploiting weaknesses in the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) protocol to gain network access.
  • Likelihood: Medium (WPS often enabled by default)
  • Impact: High (Full network access)
  • Effort: Low
  • Skill Level: Low
  • Detection Difficulty: Low

Attack Tree Path: Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attack on Wi-Fi Handshake (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Intercepting the Wi-Fi handshake process to capture and crack the password.
  • Likelihood: Medium (Requires proximity to the network)
  • Impact: High (Full network access)
  • Effort: Medium
  • Skill Level: Medium
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

Attack Tree Path: Exploit NodeMCU Network Services (HIGH-RISK PATH, CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Targeting vulnerabilities in network services running directly on the NodeMCU device (e.g., web server, MQTT).

  • Likelihood: High

  • Impact: High (Device compromise, data manipulation, service disruption)

  • Effort: Low to Medium

  • Skill Level: Low to Medium

  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

    *   **Actionable Insight:** Minimize web server usage, use secure coding practices for web interface, regularly update NodeMCU firmware, implement input validation and output encoding. Use strong authentication for MQTT broker, implement access control lists (ACLs) for MQTT topics, sanitize MQTT messages, use TLS/SSL for MQTT communication. Disable unnecessary network services like Telnet/FTP, change default credentials, use SSH/SFTP instead if secure remote access is needed.

Attack Tree Path: Exploit Vulnerabilities in Web Server (if enabled) (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Exploiting common web vulnerabilities in the NodeMCU's web server implementation.
  • Likelihood: Medium
  • Impact: Medium to High (File access, code execution, depending on vulnerability)
  • Effort: Low to High (Depending on vulnerability type)
  • Skill Level: Low to High (Depending on vulnerability type)
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

Attack Tree Path: Directory Traversal Vulnerability (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Accessing files outside the intended web server directory.
  • Likelihood: Medium
  • Impact: Medium (Access to sensitive files)
  • Effort: Low
  • Skill Level: Low
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

Attack Tree Path: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) via Web Interface (if present) (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Injecting malicious scripts into the web interface to be executed by other users.
  • Likelihood: Medium
  • Impact: Medium (Session hijacking, information theft)
  • Effort: Low
  • Skill Level: Low
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

Attack Tree Path: Exploit Vulnerabilities in MQTT Client/Broker (if used) (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Exploiting weaknesses in the MQTT implementation if used by the application.
  • Likelihood: Medium
  • Impact: Medium to High (Data manipulation, device control, depending on vulnerability)
  • Effort: Low
  • Skill Level: Low
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

Attack Tree Path: MQTT Broker Authentication Bypass (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Circumventing authentication mechanisms to access the MQTT broker.
  • Likelihood: Medium (If weak or no authentication)
  • Impact: High (Full control over MQTT messages)
  • Effort: Low
  • Skill Level: Low
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

Attack Tree Path: MQTT Topic Injection/Subscription Hijacking (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Injecting malicious messages into MQTT topics or subscribing to unauthorized topics.
  • Likelihood: Medium (If no proper authorization)
  • Impact: Medium (Data interception, message injection)
  • Effort: Low
  • Skill Level: Low
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

Attack Tree Path: Exploit Vulnerabilities in other Network Protocols (e.g., Telnet, FTP - if enabled) (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Exploiting vulnerabilities in less secure protocols like Telnet or FTP if enabled.
  • Likelihood: Medium (If enabled and default credentials are used)
  • Impact: High (Device compromise, command execution)
  • Effort: Low
  • Skill Level: Low
  • Detection Difficulty: Low

Attack Tree Path: Default Credentials for Telnet/FTP (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Using default usernames and passwords to gain access to Telnet or FTP services.
  • Likelihood: Medium (If default credentials are not changed)
  • Impact: High (Full device access)
  • Effort: Low
  • Skill Level: Low
  • Detection Difficulty: Low

Attack Tree Path: Exploit Firmware-Specific Vulnerabilities -> Injection Vulnerabilities (HIGH-RISK PATH, CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Exploiting injection vulnerabilities within the Lua application code running on NodeMCU.

  • Likelihood: Medium

  • Impact: High (Code execution, device compromise)

  • Effort: Low to Medium

  • Skill Level: Low to Medium

  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

    • Actionable Insight: Sanitize all external inputs before using them in Lua code, especially when constructing commands or queries, use parameterized queries if interacting with databases. Avoid using os.execute() or similar functions that execute shell commands with external input, if necessary, carefully sanitize input and use whitelisting.

Attack Tree Path: Lua Injection via Unsanitized Input (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Injecting malicious Lua code through unsanitized user input that is then executed by the application.
  • Likelihood: Medium (If application uses loadstring or similar with external input)
  • Impact: High (Arbitrary Lua code execution)
  • Effort: Low
  • Skill Level: Low to Medium
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

Attack Tree Path: Command Injection via os.execute() or similar functions (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Injecting operating system commands through unsanitized user input that is passed to os.execute() or similar functions.
  • Likelihood: Low (Developers generally avoid os.execute with external input)
  • Impact: High (Operating system command execution)
  • Effort: Medium
  • Skill Level: Medium
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

Attack Tree Path: Social Engineering (HIGH-RISK PATH)

  • Description: Manipulating individuals to gain access or information about the application or device.

  • Likelihood: Medium

  • Impact: Medium (Credential theft, information leakage, initial access)

  • Effort: Low

  • Skill Level: Low

  • Detection Difficulty: Medium to High

    • Actionable Insight: Implement security awareness training for personnel, enforce strong password policies, use multi-factor authentication where possible, educate users about phishing attacks.

Attack Tree Path: Social Engineering -> Phishing for Credentials or Access (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Using deceptive emails or websites to trick users into revealing credentials or providing access.
  • Likelihood: Medium
  • Impact: Medium (Credential theft, potential access to application)
  • Effort: Low
  • Skill Level: Low
  • Detection Difficulty: Medium

Attack Tree Path: Physical Access to NodeMCU Device -> Direct Access to Serial Port for Firmware Flashing/Debugging (CRITICAL NODE)

  • Description: Gaining physical access to the NodeMCU device and using the serial port to flash malicious firmware or debug the device.

  • Likelihood: Low (Requires physical access)

  • Impact: High (Full device control, firmware replacement)

  • Effort: Low (If physical access is granted)

  • Skill Level: Low

  • Detection Difficulty: Low

    • Actionable Insight: Secure physical access to NodeMCU devices, disable debugging interfaces in production.