Burger King's 'admin' Password in HTML Sparks Security Breach Fears

Burger King's Security Fails: 'admin' Password Found in HTML Exposes Sensitive Systems

In a startling revelation that underscores critical lapses in digital security, ethical hackers have successfully breached Burger King's systems, uncovering a vulnerability as basic as leaving a backdoor wide open. The ease with which the intrusion occurred has sent ripples through the cybersecurity community, highlighting how seemingly minor oversights can lead to significant breaches. This incident, uncovered by the hacking duo known as BobDaHacker and BobTheShoplifter, involved the discovery of the password 'admin' directly embedded within the website's HTML code, a practice akin to leaving the keys to a vault in plain sight.

A Trail of Vulnerabilities Leading to the Crown Jewels

The investigation by these 'white hat' hackers, whose mission is to identify and report security flaws before malicious actors can exploit them, revealed a cascade of security weaknesses within Restaurant Brands International (RBI), the parent company overseeing Burger King, Tim Hortons, and Popeyes. RBI's vast network spans over 30,000 locations globally, making the discovered vulnerabilities particularly concerning. The hackers humorously likened the company's security posture to "a Whopper wrapper in the rain – not exactly robust." Their findings paint a grim picture of a security architecture riddled with elementary mistakes.

From Guest Access to Administrator Privileges

The infiltration began with a flawed API that allowed anyone to register, a glaring oversight attributed to developers "forgetting to disable user registration." From there, the hackers exploited GraphQL requests to bypass email verification, discovering that passwords were being stored in plaintext. A critical step in their escalating privileges involved using a function called 'createToken,' which effectively granted them administrator status. This allowed them unfettered access to employee accounts, internal ordering systems, and even audio recordings from drive-thru systems, which are processed by AI for analysis.

“Their security was as robust as a Whopper wrapper in the rain.”

Hardcoded Credentials and Audio Surveillance

The most audacious discovery was the presence of hardcoded credentials. A quick inspection of RBI's equipment ordering website revealed that access to the device storage system was explicitly written into the HTML. To compound the absurdity, the password on Burger King's in-store tablets was simply 'admin.' This direct pathway enabled the hackers to access sensitive audio recordings of customer interactions at the drive-thru, feeding into AI-powered systems. Among the trove of accessed information, the hackers even stumbled upon a system for rating restaurant bathrooms, prompting a jest about leaving a five-star review for a Tokyo restroom from the comfort of their Ohio pajamas, though they chose not to.

Responsible Disclosure and Unacknowledged Efforts

Throughout their investigation, BobDaHacker and BobTheShoplifter maintained a strict ethical code, ensuring no customer data was stored and adhering to principles of responsible disclosure. Despite their efforts to improve security, RBI has yet to formally acknowledge their findings. This lack of recognition led the hackers to conclude their report with a pointed jab: "Wendy's is better." The incident serves as a stark reminder of the dire consequences of neglecting basic cybersecurity hygiene, echoing past blunders like a tech support incident where a major cleaning supply company's password was revealed after a single phone call.