CWE-779 Base Borrador Low likelihood

Logging of Excessive Data

This vulnerability occurs when an application records more information than necessary in its logs, making log files difficult to analyze and potentially slowing down incident response or security…

Definición

What is CWE-779?

This vulnerability occurs when an application records more information than necessary in its logs, making log files difficult to analyze and potentially slowing down incident response or security investigations.
While comprehensive logging is essential for debugging during development, excessive logging in a live production environment creates significant operational problems. Overly verbose logs can overwhelm system administrators, making it harder to spot genuine security alerts or performance issues amidst the noise. This clutter can inadvertently provide cover for an attacker, as critical malicious activity gets lost in a flood of irrelevant data. From a security perspective, excessive logging also complicates forensic analysis after a breach, as investigators must sift through mountains of data to find relevant events. Furthermore, it can impact system performance and storage costs, and may even lead to accidentally recording sensitive information (like passwords or personal data), creating additional security risks. The goal is to implement smart, targeted logging that captures what you need without drowning you in data.
Impacto en el mundo real

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-779

  • CVE-2007-0421

    server records a large amount of data to the server log when it receives malformed headers

  • CVE-2002-1154

    chain: application does not restrict access to front-end for updates, which allows attacker to fill the error log

Cómo lo explotan los atacantes

Ruta del atacante paso a paso

  1. 1

    Identifica una ruta de código que maneje entrada no confiable sin validación.

  2. 2

    Crea un payload que ejercite el comportamiento inseguro — inyección, traversal, overflow o abuso de lógica.

  3. 3

    Envía el payload a través de una solicitud normal y observa la reacción de la aplicación.

  4. 4

    Itera hasta que la respuesta filtre datos, ejecute código del atacante o escale privilegios.

Ejemplo de código vulnerable

Vulnerable pseudo

MITRE no ha publicado un ejemplo de código para esta CWE. El patrón siguiente es ilustrativo — consulta Recursos para referencias canónicas.

Vulnerable pseudo 
// Example pattern — see MITRE for the canonical references.
function handleRequest(input) {
  // Untrusted input flows directly into the sensitive sink.
  return executeUnsafe(input);
}
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-779

  • Architecture and Design Suppress large numbers of duplicate log messages and replace them with periodic summaries. For example, syslog may include an entry that states "last message repeated X times" when recording repeated events.
  • Architecture and Design Support a maximum size for the log file that can be controlled by the administrator. If the maximum size is reached, the admin should be notified. Also, consider reducing functionality of the product. This may result in a denial-of-service to legitimate product users, but it will prevent the product from adversely impacting the entire system.
  • Implementation Adjust configurations appropriately when the product is transitioned from a debug state to production.
Señales de detección

How to detect CWE-779

SAST High

Ejecuta análisis estático (SAST) sobre el código buscando el patrón inseguro en el flujo de datos.

DAST Moderate

Ejecuta pruebas dinámicas de seguridad de aplicaciones (DAST) contra el endpoint en vivo.

Runtime Moderate

Vigila los logs en tiempo de ejecución para detectar trazas de excepción inusuales, entradas malformadas o intentos de bypass de autorización.

Code review Moderate

Revisión de código: marca cualquier código nuevo que maneje entrada desde esta superficie sin usar los helpers validados del framework.

Auto-corrección de Plexicus

Plexicus detecta automáticamente CWE-779 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.

Solicitar demo Probar Plexicus gratis
Preguntas frecuentes

Frequently asked questions

¿Qué es CWE-779?

This vulnerability occurs when an application records more information than necessary in its logs, making log files difficult to analyze and potentially slowing down incident response or security investigations.

¿Qué gravedad tiene CWE-779?

MITRE califica la probabilidad de explotación como Baja — la explotación es poco frecuente, pero la debilidad debe corregirse cuando se descubra.

¿Qué lenguajes o plataformas se ven afectados por CWE-779?

MITRE no ha especificado plataformas afectadas para esta CWE — puede aplicar a la mayoría de los stacks de aplicaciones.

¿Cómo puedo prevenir CWE-779?

Suppress large numbers of duplicate log messages and replace them with periodic summaries. For example, syslog may include an entry that states "last message repeated X times" when recording repeated events. Support a maximum size for the log file that can be controlled by the administrator. If the maximum size is reached, the admin should be notified. Also, consider reducing functionality of the product. This may result in a denial-of-service to legitimate product users, but it will prevent…

¿Cómo detecta y corrige Plexicus CWE-779?

El motor SAST de Plexicus detecta la firma de flujo de datos para CWE-779 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-779?

MITRE publica la definición canónica en https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/779.html. También puedes consultar la documentación de OWASP y NIST para guías relacionadas.

Debilidades relacionadas

Weaknesses related to CWE-779

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CWE-920 Hermano

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This vulnerability occurs when software running on a power-constrained device, like a battery-powered mobile or embedded system, fails to…

Recursos

Further reading

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