CWE-523: Unprotected Transport of Credentials
Learn about CWE-523 (Unprotected Transport of Credentials), its security impact, exploitation methods, and prevention guidelines.
What is Unprotected Transport of Credentials?
• Overview: Unprotected Transport of Credentials (CWE-523) occurs when login pages fail to adequately secure user credentials like usernames and passwords during transmission from the client to the server, exposing them to potential interception.
• Exploitation Methods:
- Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by intercepting network traffic between the client and server using techniques like packet sniffing.
- Common attack patterns include man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, where attackers intercept and possibly alter communications between the two parties.
• Security Impact:
- Direct consequences include unauthorized access to user accounts, as attackers can obtain user credentials.
- Potential cascading effects include compromised sensitive user data and further penetration into the system.
- Business impact may involve data breaches, loss of customer trust, legal liabilities, and damage to the company's reputation.
• Prevention Guidelines:
- Specific code-level fixes include implementing HTTPS using TLS to encrypt data in transit.
- Security best practices involve enforcing strong encryption protocols and avoiding deprecated or insecure versions of SSL/TLS.
- Recommended tools and frameworks include using libraries and frameworks that automatically handle secure transport, such as those provided by modern web development platforms.
Technical Details
Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified
Affected Languages: Not specified
Affected Technologies: Not specified
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) provides data confidentiality and integrity to HTTP. By encrypting HTTP messages, SSL protects from attackers eavesdropping or altering message contents.