CWE-312 Base Borrador

Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information

This vulnerability occurs when an application stores sensitive data like passwords, credit card numbers, or personal information in plain text, without any encryption. This unsecured data is kept in…

Definición

What is CWE-312?

This vulnerability occurs when an application stores sensitive data like passwords, credit card numbers, or personal information in plain text, without any encryption. This unsecured data is kept in files, databases, caches, or logs that could be accessed by unauthorized users or systems.
Storing sensitive information in cleartext is a fundamental security failure because it removes the primary barrier protecting data at rest. Whether the exposure happens via a database breach, log file leakage, or insecure backups, attackers can immediately read and misuse the information without needing to crack encryption. This flaw directly violates the core security principle of defense in depth and is often the root cause of massive data breaches. To prevent this, developers must ensure that all sensitive data is encrypted before being written to any storage medium, using strong, standard cryptographic libraries. Additionally, consider minimizing data collection, implementing robust key management, and regularly auditing storage locations—like logs, debug files, and analytics caches—to ensure no sensitive data is accidentally persisted in plain text.
Vulnerability Diagram CWE-312
Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information /etc/app/config.yaml db: password: "P@ss123" api: stripe: sk_live_AbCd… # readable by any user Local user / backup tape cat config.yaml → "P@ss123" backup leak / forensic dump secrets harvested Sensitive values are saved as plain text on disk or in config files.
Impacto en el mundo real

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-312

  • CVE-2022-30275

    Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) uses a driver that relies on a password stored in plaintext.

  • CVE-2009-2272

    password and username stored in cleartext in a cookie

  • CVE-2009-1466

    password stored in cleartext in a file with insecure permissions

  • CVE-2009-0152

    chat program disables SSL in some circumstances even when the user says to use SSL.

  • CVE-2009-1603

    Chain: product uses an incorrect public exponent when generating an RSA key, which effectively disables the encryption

  • CVE-2009-0964

    storage of unencrypted passwords in a database

  • CVE-2008-6157

    storage of unencrypted passwords in a database

  • CVE-2008-6828

    product stores a password in cleartext in memory

Cómo lo explotan los atacantes

Ruta del atacante paso a paso

  1. 1

    The following code excerpt stores a plaintext user account ID in a browser cookie.

  2. 2

    Because the account ID is in plaintext, the user's account information is exposed if their computer is compromised by an attacker.

  3. 3

    This code writes a user's login information to a cookie so the user does not have to login again later.

  4. 4

    The code stores the user's username and password in plaintext in a cookie on the user's machine. This exposes the user's login information if their computer is compromised by an attacker. Even if the user's machine is not compromised, this weakness combined with cross-site scripting (CWE-79) could allow an attacker to remotely copy the cookie.

  5. 5

    Also note this example code also exhibits Plaintext Storage in a Cookie (CWE-315).

Ejemplo de código vulnerable

Vulnerable Java

The following code excerpt stores a plaintext user account ID in a browser cookie.

Vulnerable Java 
response.addCookie( new Cookie("userAccountID", acctID);
Ejemplo de código seguro

Secure Other

While it was not publicly disclosed how the data was protected after discovery, multiple options could have been considered.

Seguro Other 
The sensitive information could have been protected by ensuring that the buckets did not have public read access, e.g., by enabling the s3-account-level-public-access-blocks-periodic rule to Block Public Access. In addition, the data could have been encrypted at rest using the appropriate S3 settings, e.g., by enabling server-side encryption using the s3-bucket-server-side-encryption-enabled setting. Other settings are available to further prevent bucket data from being leaked. [REF-1297]
What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.
Lista de prevención

How to prevent CWE-312

  • Implementation / System Configuration / Operation When storing data in the cloud (e.g., S3 buckets, Azure blobs, Google Cloud Storage, etc.), use the provider's controls to encrypt the data at rest. [REF-1297] [REF-1299] [REF-1301]
  • Implementation / System Configuration / Operation In some systems/environments such as cloud, the use of "double encryption" (at both the software and hardware layer) might be required, and the developer might be solely responsible for both layers, instead of shared responsibility with the administrator of the broader system/environment.
Señales de detección

How to detect CWE-312

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.)

Auto-corrección de Plexicus

Plexicus detecta automáticamente CWE-312 y abre un PR de corrección en menos de 60 segundos.

Codex Remedium escanea cada commit, identifica esta debilidad concreta y entrega un pull request listo para revisión con el parche. Sin tickets. Sin traspasos.

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Preguntas frecuentes

Frequently asked questions

¿Qué es CWE-312?

This vulnerability occurs when an application stores sensitive data like passwords, credit card numbers, or personal information in plain text, without any encryption. This unsecured data is kept in files, databases, caches, or logs that could be accessed by unauthorized users or systems.

¿Qué gravedad tiene CWE-312?

MITRE no ha publicado una calificación de probabilidad de explotación para esta debilidad. Trátala como de impacto medio hasta que tu modelo de amenazas demuestre lo contrario.

¿Qué lenguajes o plataformas se ven afectados por CWE-312?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: Cloud Computing, ICS/OT, Mobile.

¿Cómo puedo prevenir CWE-312?

When storing data in the cloud (e.g., S3 buckets, Azure blobs, Google Cloud Storage, etc.), use the provider's controls to encrypt the data at rest. [REF-1297] [REF-1299] [REF-1301] In some systems/environments such as cloud, the use of "double encryption" (at both the software and hardware layer) might be required, and the developer might be solely responsible for both layers, instead of shared responsibility with the administrator of the broader system/environment.

¿Cómo detecta y corrige Plexicus CWE-312?

El motor SAST de Plexicus detecta la firma de flujo de datos para CWE-312 en cada commit. Cuando hay coincidencia, nuestro agente Codex Remedium abre un PR de corrección con el código corregido, las pruebas y un resumen de una línea para el revisor.

¿Dónde puedo aprender más sobre CWE-312?

MITRE publica la definición canónica en https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/312.html. También puedes consultar la documentación de OWASP y NIST para guías relacionadas.

Debilidades relacionadas

Weaknesses related to CWE-312

CWE-311 Padre

Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data

This vulnerability occurs when an application stores or sends sensitive information without first encrypting it, leaving the data exposed.

CWE-319 Hermano

Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information

This vulnerability occurs when an application sends sensitive data, such as passwords or personal information, over a network connection…

CWE-313 Hijo

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…

CWE-314 Hijo

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 Hijo

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 Hijo

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 Hijo

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 Hijo

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 Hijo

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…

Recursos

Further reading

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