CWE-313 Variant Draft

Cleartext Storage in a File or on Disk

This vulnerability occurs when an application writes sensitive data, such as passwords or personal information, directly to a file or disk without using encryption.

Definition

What is CWE-313?

This vulnerability occurs when an application writes sensitive data, such as passwords or personal information, directly to a file or disk without using encryption.
When sensitive data is stored in plain text, anyone with access to the file—or even the raw disk—can read it directly. This includes attackers who have gained system access, malicious insiders, or even system administrators performing routine maintenance. The risk isn't limited to standard file permissions; physical access to a storage device or the ability to read disk sectors can also expose the unprotected information. Even if the data appears scrambled or uses a simple encoding like Base64, it does not provide real security. Attackers can easily detect common encoding schemes and reverse them to recover the original cleartext. True protection requires strong, standard encryption with a securely managed key, not just obfuscation, to ensure data remains confidential both at rest and if the storage medium is compromised.
Auswirkungen in der Praxis

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-313

  • CVE-2001-1481

    Cleartext credentials in world-readable file.

  • CVE-2005-1828

    Password in cleartext in config file.

  • CVE-2005-2209

    Password in cleartext in config file.

  • CVE-2002-1696

    Decrypted copy of a message written to disk given a combination of options and when user replies to an encrypted message.

  • CVE-2004-2397

    Cleartext storage of private key and passphrase in log file when user imports the key.

Wie Angreifer es ausnutzen

Angreiferpfad Schritt für Schritt

  1. 1

    The following examples show a portion of properties and configuration files for Java and ASP.NET applications. The files include username and password information but they are stored in cleartext.

  2. 2

    This Java example shows a properties file with a cleartext username / password pair.

  3. 3

    The following example shows a portion of a configuration file for an ASP.Net application. This configuration file includes username and password information for a connection to a database but the pair is stored in cleartext.

  4. 4

    Username and password information should not be included in a configuration file or a properties file in cleartext as this will allow anyone who can read the file access to the resource. If possible, encrypt this information.

Verwundbares Codebeispiel

Vulnerable Java

This Java example shows a properties file with a cleartext username / password pair.

Verwundbar Java 
```
# Java Web App ResourceBundle properties file* 
  ...
  webapp.ldap.username=secretUsername
  webapp.ldap.password=secretPassword
  ...
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-313

  • Architecture Use safe-by-default frameworks and APIs that prevent the unsafe pattern from being expressible.
  • Implementation Validate input at trust boundaries; use allowlists, not denylists.
  • Implementation Apply the principle of least privilege to credentials, file paths, and runtime permissions.
  • Testing Cover this weakness in CI: SAST rules + targeted unit tests for the data flow.
  • Operation Monitor logs for the runtime signals listed in the next section.
Erkennungssignale

How to detect CWE-313

Automated Static Analysis High

Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.)

Plexicus Auto-Fix

Plexicus erkennt CWE-313 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-313?

This vulnerability occurs when an application writes sensitive data, such as passwords or personal information, directly to a file or disk without using encryption.

Wie gravierend ist CWE-313?

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-313 betroffen?

MITRE hat für diese CWE keine betroffenen Plattformen spezifiziert — sie kann in den meisten Anwendungs-Stacks auftreten.

Wie kann ich CWE-313 verhindern?

Use safe-by-default frameworks, validate untrusted input at trust boundaries, and apply the principle of least privilege. Cover the data-flow signature in CI with SAST.

Wie erkennt und behebt Plexicus CWE-313?

Die SAST-Engine von Plexicus erkennt die Datenfluss-Signatur von CWE-313 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-313?

MITRE veröffentlicht die kanonische Definition unter https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/313.html. Für ergänzende Hinweise kannst du auch die OWASP- und NIST-Dokumentation heranziehen.

Verwandte Schwachstellen

Weaknesses related to CWE-313

CWE-312 Parent

Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information

This vulnerability occurs when an application stores sensitive data like passwords, credit card numbers, or personal information in plain…

CWE-314 Sibling

Cleartext Storage in the Registry

This vulnerability occurs when an application saves sensitive data, like passwords or keys, as plain text in the Windows Registry.

CWE-315 Sibling

Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in a Cookie

This vulnerability occurs when an application directly stores sensitive data, like session tokens or personal details, in a browser cookie…

CWE-316 Sibling

Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Memory

This vulnerability occurs when an application stores sensitive data, such as passwords or encryption keys, in memory without any form of…

CWE-317 Sibling

Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in GUI

This vulnerability occurs when an application stores sensitive data, such as passwords or personal information, in plain text within its…

CWE-318 Sibling

Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Executable

This vulnerability occurs when an application embeds sensitive information, like passwords or keys, directly within its executable code…

CWE-526 Sibling

Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable

This vulnerability occurs when an application stores sensitive data, such as passwords or API keys, as plain text in an environment…

Ressourcen

Further reading

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