CWE-1052: Excessive Use of Hard-Coded Literals in Initialization

What is Excessive Use of Hard-Coded Literals in Initialization?

• Overview: Excessive use of hard-coded literals in initialization refers to initializing data elements in software using fixed values that are neither simple integers nor static constants. This practice can complicate maintenance and modifications, indirectly compromising security by making vulnerabilities harder and more time-consuming to address.

• Exploitation Methods:

• Attackers can exploit this by analyzing the code to understand logic and behavior, potentially revealing sensitive information or weaknesses.
• Common attack patterns involve reverse engineering or code inspection to discover hard-coded values that might be used improperly, like passwords or configurations.

• Security Impact:

• Direct consequences of successful exploitation include unauthorized access or manipulation of the application’s behavior.
• Potential cascading effects include increased difficulty in patching or updating code, leading to prolonged exposure to other vulnerabilities.
• Business impact can manifest as increased maintenance costs and the potential for security breaches due to delayed vulnerability management.

• Prevention Guidelines:

• Specific code-level fixes include refactoring code to use configuration files, environment variables, or constants instead of hard-coded literals.
• Security best practices involve regular code reviews and adopting a policy of minimal hard-coded values, especially for sensitive information.
• Recommended tools and frameworks include static code analysis tools to detect hard-coded literals and implementing secure coding standards that discourage or restrict this practice.

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Technical Details

Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified

Affected Languages: Not specified

Affected Technologies: Not specified