Description

A vulnerability was found in ZKTeco BioTime 9.5.6 Build 20260130.3206. This issue affects some unknown processing. The manipulation results in use of hard-coded cryptographic key . The attack may be launched remotely. The vendor was contacted early about this disclosure but did not respond in any way.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.3",
  "pubDate": "2026-10-12T04:16:48.903Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-10-12T04:16:48.903Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A critical vulnerability exists in ZKTeco BioTime 9.5.6 Build 20260130.3206 involving the use of hard-coded cryptographic keys.\nThis vulnerability is categorized as a failure to implement secure cryptographic practices, leading to a significant compromise of data confidentiality and integrity.\nThe flaw allows remote attackers to bypass encryption mechanisms, potentially decrypting sensitive traffic, forging authentication tokens, or accessing encrypted storage without authorization.\nBecause the key is hard-coded into the application logic, it cannot be rotated by administrators, rendering traditional key management ineffective.\nThe exposure of this key provides an attacker with the capability to perform unauthorized actions, including the manipulation of biometric data or administrative configurations.\nGiven that the vulnerability is exploitable remotely, the risk profile is elevated for organizations relying on this software for access control and time management.\nThe vendor has been unresponsive to disclosure attempts, leaving the implementation exposed and requiring immediate compensating controls from end-users to mitigate the risk of exploitation.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability originates from the embedding of static, hard-coded cryptographic keys within the binary or configuration files of ZKTeco BioTime 9.5.6 Build 20260130.3206.\nBy incorporating keys directly into the source code or associated static libraries, the application violates fundamental cryptographic design principles, specifically the separation of keys from code.\nWhen a cryptographic key is hard-coded, it is effectively exposed to any entity capable of obtaining the software binary. An attacker can perform static analysis using reverse engineering tools, such as IDA Pro or Ghidra, to extract the key material.\nThe attack flow typically initiates with the acquisition of the BioTime installation package. The attacker decompiles or disassembles the relevant components responsible for data encryption—likely identifying the crypto provider or a custom implementation via string analysis or pattern matching on common cryptographic constants.\nOnce the static key is recovered, the attacker can decrypt sensitive data streams, cookies, or database entries that rely on the compromised key for protection. If the key is used for signing purposes, such as generating JSON Web Tokens (JWT) or session identifiers, the attacker can forge administrative credentials, facilitating full system compromise.\nThe exposure is exacerbated by the remote exploitability of the application. If the hard-coded key is utilized to secure network communications or remote API calls, the attacker can perform man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks or inject malicious, encrypted payloads that the system will accept as authentic.\nPost-exploitation impact is severe, as the attacker gains the same level of cryptographic trust as the software developers. This grants the ability to bypass existing security controls, intercept sensitive authentication flows, and maintain persistence within the environment. Because the key is immutable without a vendor-supplied update, the vulnerability persists until the underlying application logic is re-architected to support secure, dynamic key management, such as the use of Hardware Security Modules (HSM) or secure vaulting services."
}