CWE-1266 Base Incomplete

Improper Scrubbing of Sensitive Data from Decommissioned Device

This vulnerability occurs when a system lacks a reliable method for administrators to permanently erase sensitive information before taking hardware or software out of service. The data scrubbing…

Definition

What is CWE-1266?

This vulnerability occurs when a system lacks a reliable method for administrators to permanently erase sensitive information before taking hardware or software out of service. The data scrubbing feature might be missing, ineffective, or flawed, leaving confidential data behind.

When decommissioning a device or application—such as retiring a server, storage array, or IoT gadget—you must actively destroy any stored sensitive data. This process, often called data scrubbing or sanitization, is critical because simply deleting files or performing a factory reset often doesn't remove the underlying data from physical storage, making it recoverable by anyone with access to the hardware. Failure to properly scrub data exposes credentials, proprietary configurations, user information, and network details. Attackers can easily extract this information from discarded, sold, or repurposed equipment. To prevent this, you need built-in, verified secure erase functions that overwrite storage media according to recognized standards, going beyond basic deletion commands.

Auswirkungen in der Praxis

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-1266

Bisher sind in MITREs Katalog keine öffentlichen CVE-Referenzen mit dieser CWE verknüpft.

Wie Angreifer es ausnutzen

Angreiferpfad Schritt für Schritt

1
Identifiziere einen Codepfad, der nicht vertrauenswürdige Eingaben ohne Validierung verarbeitet.
2
Erzeuge eine Payload, die das unsichere Verhalten auslöst — Injection, Traversal, Overflow oder Logik-Missbrauch.
3
Liefere die Payload über einen normalen Request aus und beobachte die Reaktion der Anwendung.
4
Iteriere, bis die Antwort Daten preisgibt, Angreifer-Code ausführt oder Berechtigungen eskaliert.

Verwundbares Codebeispiel

Vulnerable pseudo

MITRE hat kein Codebeispiel für diese CWE veröffentlicht. Das untenstehende Muster ist illustrativ — kanonische Referenzen findest du unter Ressourcen.

Verwundbar pseudo

// Example pattern — see MITRE for the canonical references.
function handleRequest(input) {
  // Untrusted input flows directly into the sensitive sink.
  return executeUnsafe(input);
}

Sicheres Codebeispiel

Secure pseudo

Sicher pseudo

// Validate, sanitize, or use a safe API before reaching the sink.
function handleRequest(input) {
  const safe = validateAndEscape(input);
  return executeWithGuards(safe);
}

What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.

Präventions-Checkliste

How to prevent CWE-1266

Architecture and Design Functionality to completely scrub data from a product at the conclusion of its lifecycle should be part of the design phase. Trying to add this function on top of an existing architecture could lead to incomplete removal of sensitive information/data.
Policy The manufacturer should describe the location(s) where sensitive data is stored and the policies and procedures for its removal. This information may be conveyed, for example, in an Administrators Guide or a Statement of Volatility.
Implementation If the capability to wipe sensitive data isn't built-in, the manufacturer may need to provide a utility to scrub sensitive data from storage if that data is located in a place which is non-accessible by the administrator. One example of this could be when sensitive data is stored on an EEPROM for which there is no user/admin interface provided by the system.

Erkennungssignale

How to detect CWE-1266

SAST High

Führe statische Analyse (SAST) auf der Codebasis aus und suche im Datenfluss nach dem unsicheren Muster.

DAST Moderate

Führe dynamische Application-Security-Tests gegen den Live-Endpoint aus.

Runtime Moderate

Beobachte Runtime-Logs auf ungewöhnliche Exception-Traces, fehlerhafte Eingaben oder Versuche, Autorisierung zu umgehen.

Code review Moderate

Code Review: Markiere jeden neuen Code, der Eingaben von dieser Oberfläche ohne validierte Framework-Helper verarbeitet.

Plexicus Auto-Fix

Plexicus erkennt CWE-1266 automatisch und öffnet in unter 60 Sekunden einen Fix-PR.

Codex Remedium scannt jeden Commit, identifiziert genau diese Schwachstelle und liefert einen reviewer-ready Pull Request mit dem Patch. Keine Tickets. Keine Hand-offs.

Demo anfordern Plexicus kostenlos testen

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Frequently asked questions

Was ist CWE-1266?

Wie gravierend ist CWE-1266?

MITRE hat für diese Schwachstelle keine Exploit-Wahrscheinlichkeit veröffentlicht. Behandle sie als mittlere Auswirkung, bis dein Threat Model anderes belegt.

Welche Sprachen oder Plattformen sind von CWE-1266 betroffen?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: Not OS-Specific, Not Architecture-Specific, Not Technology-Specific.

Wie kann ich CWE-1266 verhindern?

Functionality to completely scrub data from a product at the conclusion of its lifecycle should be part of the design phase. Trying to add this function on top of an existing architecture could lead to incomplete removal of sensitive information/data. The manufacturer should describe the location(s) where sensitive data is stored and the policies and procedures for its removal. This information may be conveyed, for example, in an Administrators Guide or a Statement of Volatility.

Wie erkennt und behebt Plexicus CWE-1266?

Die SAST-Engine von Plexicus erkennt die Datenfluss-Signatur von CWE-1266 bei jedem Commit. Bei einem Treffer öffnet unser Codex-Remedium-Agent einen Fix-PR mit korrigiertem Code, Tests und einer einzeiligen Zusammenfassung für den Reviewer.

Wo erfahre ich mehr über CWE-1266?

MITRE veröffentlicht die kanonische Definition unter https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/1266.html. Für ergänzende Hinweise kannst du auch die OWASP- und NIST-Dokumentation heranziehen.

Verwandte Schwachstellen

Weaknesses related to CWE-1266

CWE-404 Parent

Improper Resource Shutdown or Release

This vulnerability occurs when a program fails to properly close or release a system resource—like a file handle, database connection, or…

CWE-299 Sibling

Improper Check for Certificate Revocation

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly verify whether a security certificate has been revoked, potentially…

CWE-401 Sibling

Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime

This vulnerability occurs when a program allocates memory but fails to properly release it after it's no longer needed, causing a gradual…

CWE-459 Sibling

Incomplete Cleanup

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly remove temporary files, data structures, or system resources after they…

CWE-761 Sibling

Free of Pointer not at Start of Buffer

This vulnerability occurs when a program incorrectly frees a memory pointer that no longer points to the beginning of the allocated heap…

CWE-762 Sibling

Mismatched Memory Management Routines

This vulnerability occurs when a program uses incompatible functions to allocate and free memory. For example, freeing memory with a…

CWE-763 Sibling

Release of Invalid Pointer or Reference

This vulnerability occurs when a program tries to free a memory resource back to the system but uses an incorrect deallocation method or…

CWE-772 Sibling

Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime

This vulnerability occurs when a program fails to properly release a system resource—like memory, file handles, or network sockets—after…

CWE-775 Sibling

Missing Release of File Descriptor or Handle after Effective Lifetime

This vulnerability occurs when a program fails to properly close file descriptors or handles after they are no longer needed, leaving…

Ressourcen

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