CWE-321 Variante Borrador High likelihood

Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key

This vulnerability occurs when an application embeds a fixed, unchangeable cryptographic key directly within its source code or configuration files.

Definición

What is CWE-321?

This vulnerability occurs when an application embeds a fixed, unchangeable cryptographic key directly within its source code or configuration files.
Hard-coding cryptographic keys is a common but dangerous practice that undermines the security of encrypted data. Since the key is the same in every instance of the application and cannot be changed without modifying the code, an attacker who discovers the key (e.g., by inspecting the source code, binaries, or configuration files) can decrypt any sensitive data the application protects. This flaw effectively renders encryption useless, as the secret is no longer secret. To fix this, developers should use secure key management systems that allow keys to be stored externally, rotated regularly, and accessed securely at runtime. While SAST tools can detect the hard-coded pattern, Plexicus uses AI to suggest the actual code fix—such as integrating with a secrets manager or environment variables—saving hours of manual refactoring and helping you enforce secure key handling across your entire application portfolio.
Vulnerability Diagram CWE-321
Hard-coded Cryptographic Key crypto.go var aesKey = []byte( "0123456789abcdef") cipher.Encrypt(aesKey, …) // same key on every install Attacker strings binary | grep hex → 0123456789abcdef decrypt all encrypted data, forge tokens, sign things A literal AES/HMAC key in code = one extracted key compromises every customer.
Impacto en el mundo real

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-321

  • CVE-2022-29960

    Engineering Workstation uses hard-coded cryptographic keys that could allow for unathorized filesystem access and privilege escalation

  • CVE-2022-30271

    Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) uses a hard-coded SSH private key that is likely to be used by default.

  • CVE-2020-10884

    WiFi router service has a hard-coded encryption key, allowing root access

  • CVE-2014-2198

    Communications / collaboration product has a hardcoded SSH private key, allowing access to root account

Cómo lo explotan los atacantes

Ruta del atacante paso a paso

  1. 1

    The following code examples attempt to verify a password using a hard-coded cryptographic key.

  2. 2

    The cryptographic key is within a hard-coded string value that is compared to the password. It is likely that an attacker will be able to read the key and compromise the system.

  3. 3

    In 2022, the OT:ICEFALL study examined products by 10 different Operational Technology (OT) vendors. The researchers reported 56 vulnerabilities and said that the products were "insecure by design" [REF-1283]. If exploited, these vulnerabilities often allowed adversaries to change how the products operated, ranging from denial of service to changing the code that the products executed. Since these products were often used in industries such as power, electrical, water, and others, there could even be safety implications.

  4. 4

    Multiple vendors used hard-coded keys for critical functionality in their OT products.

Ejemplo de código vulnerable

Vulnerable C

The following code examples attempt to verify a password using a hard-coded cryptographic key.

Vulnerable C 
int VerifyAdmin(char *password) {
  		if (strcmp(password,"68af404b513073584c4b6f22b6c63e6b")) {
  				printf("Incorrect Password!\n");
  				return(0);
  		}
  		printf("Entering Diagnostic Mode...\n");
  		return(1);
  }
Ejemplo de código seguro

Secure pseudo

Seguro 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.
Lista de prevención

How to prevent CWE-321

  • Architecture and Design Prevention schemes mirror that of hard-coded password storage.
Señales de detección

How to detect CWE-321

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-321 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-321?

This vulnerability occurs when an application embeds a fixed, unchangeable cryptographic key directly within its source code or configuration files.

¿Qué gravedad tiene CWE-321?

MITRE califica la probabilidad de explotación como Alta — esta debilidad se explota activamente en la práctica y debe priorizarse para su remediación.

¿Qué lenguajes o plataformas se ven afectados por CWE-321?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: ICS/OT.

¿Cómo puedo prevenir CWE-321?

Prevention schemes mirror that of hard-coded password storage.

¿Cómo detecta y corrige Plexicus CWE-321?

El motor SAST de Plexicus detecta la firma de flujo de datos para CWE-321 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-321?

MITRE publica la definición canónica en https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/321.html. También puedes consultar la documentación de OWASP y NIST para guías relacionadas.

Debilidades relacionadas

Weaknesses related to CWE-321

CWE-798 Padre

Use of Hard-coded Credentials

This vulnerability occurs when software contains built-in, unchangeable authentication secrets like passwords or encryption keys within…

CWE-259 Hermano

Use of Hard-coded Password

This vulnerability occurs when an application embeds a password directly into its source code or configuration files. This hard-coded…

Recursos

Further reading

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