Description
Storing a password in plaintext may result in a system compromise.
Password management issues occur when a password is stored in plaintext in an application’s properties, configuration file, or memory. Storing a plaintext password in a configuration file allows anyone who can read the file access to the password-protected resource. In some contexts, even storage of a plaintext password in memory is considered a security risk if the password is not cleared immediately after it is used.
Modes of Introduction:
– Architecture and Design
Likelihood of Exploit: High
Related Weaknesses
CWE-522
Consequences
Access Control: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
Potential Mitigations
Phase: Architecture and Design
Description:
Avoid storing passwords in easily accessible locations.
Phase: Architecture and Design
Description:
Consider storing cryptographic hashes of passwords as an alternative to storing in plaintext.
Phase:
Effectiveness: None
Description:
A programmer might attempt to remedy the password management problem by obscuring the password with an encoding function, such as base 64 encoding, but this effort does not adequately protect the password because the encoding can be detected and decoded easily.
CVE References
