CWE-615 Variant Incomplete

Inclusion of Sensitive Information in Source Code Comments

This vulnerability occurs when developers leave sensitive details within source code comments. These can include internal file paths, hidden URLs, inactive code snippets, credentials, or other…

Definition

What is CWE-615?

This vulnerability occurs when developers leave sensitive details within source code comments. These can include internal file paths, hidden URLs, inactive code snippets, credentials, or other information meant for internal use only.
Comments containing sensitive data act as a roadmap for attackers. By scanning these comments, an attacker can uncover the application's internal structure, discover hidden files or administrative endpoints, and piece together how the software works, significantly reducing the effort needed to plan an attack. To prevent this, treat comments as part of your public-facing code. Establish a review process to scrub comments before deployment, and use environment variables or secure configuration files for any operational details like paths or links. Remember, if it shouldn't be seen by users, it shouldn't be in the comments.
Auswirkungen in der Praxis

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-615

  • CVE-2007-6197

    Version numbers and internal hostnames leaked in HTML comments.

  • CVE-2007-4072

    CMS places full pathname of server in HTML comment.

  • CVE-2009-2431

    blog software leaks real username in HTML comment.

Wie Angreifer es ausnutzen

Angreiferpfad Schritt für Schritt

  1. 1

    Identifiziere einen Codepfad, der nicht vertrauenswürdige Eingaben ohne Validierung verarbeitet.

  2. 2

    Erzeuge eine Payload, die das unsichere Verhalten auslöst — Injection, Traversal, Overflow oder Logik-Missbrauch.

  3. 3

    Liefere die Payload über einen normalen Request aus und beobachte die Reaktion der Anwendung.

  4. 4

    Iteriere, bis die Antwort Daten preisgibt, Angreifer-Code ausführt oder Berechtigungen eskaliert.

Verwundbares Codebeispiel

Vulnerable JSP

The following comment, embedded in a JSP, will be displayed in the resulting HTML output.

Verwundbar JSP 
<!-- FIXME: calling this with more than 30 args kills the JDBC server -->
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-615

  • Distribution Remove comments which have sensitive information about the design/implementation of the application. Some of the comments may be exposed to the user and affect the security posture of the application.
Erkennungssignale

How to detect CWE-615

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-615 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-615?

This vulnerability occurs when developers leave sensitive details within source code comments. These can include internal file paths, hidden URLs, inactive code snippets, credentials, or other information meant for internal use only.

Wie gravierend ist CWE-615?

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-615 betroffen?

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

Wie kann ich CWE-615 verhindern?

Remove comments which have sensitive information about the design/implementation of the application. Some of the comments may be exposed to the user and affect the security posture of the application.

Wie erkennt und behebt Plexicus CWE-615?

Die SAST-Engine von Plexicus erkennt die Datenfluss-Signatur von CWE-615 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-615?

MITRE veröffentlicht die kanonische Definition unter https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/615.html. Für ergänzende Hinweise kannst du auch die OWASP- und NIST-Dokumentation heranziehen.

Verwandte Schwachstellen

Weaknesses related to CWE-615

CWE-540 Parent

Inclusion of Sensitive Information in Source Code

This vulnerability occurs when sensitive information like passwords, API keys, or internal logic is exposed within source code that…

CWE-531 Sibling

Inclusion of Sensitive Information in Test Code

This vulnerability occurs when sensitive data, such as credentials, API keys, or internal logic, is embedded within test code or debugging…

CWE-541 Sibling

Inclusion of Sensitive Information in an Include File

This vulnerability occurs when sensitive data like passwords or system details is placed inside a publicly accessible include file.…

CWE-546 Peer

Suspicious Comment

This weakness occurs when code contains comments that flag potential issues, such as bugs, security gaps, or unfinished work, which can…

Ressourcen

Further reading

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