CWE-526: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable
Learn about CWE-526 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable), its security impact, exploitation methods, and prevention guidelines.
What is Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable?
• Overview: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable occurs when sensitive data is stored in an environment variable without encryption, making it accessible to unauthorized processes and potentially exposed to unintended outputs.
• Exploitation Methods:
- Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by accessing environment variables through compromised processes or by executing malicious code that reads these variables.
- Common attack patterns include injecting code into applications or using debugging tools to extract environment variable content.
• Security Impact:
- Direct consequences include unauthorized access to sensitive information such as passwords, API keys, or tokens.
- Potential cascading effects may involve further system compromise, privilege escalation, and unauthorized data access across interconnected services.
- Business impact includes data breaches, loss of customer trust, regulatory penalties, and potential financial losses.
• Prevention Guidelines:
- Specific code-level fixes include encrypting sensitive data before storing it in environment variables or avoiding storing sensitive information in them altogether.
- Security best practices involve using secure vaults or configuration management tools to store sensitive information securely.
- Recommended tools and frameworks include HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, or Azure Key Vault for managing sensitive data securely.
Technical Details
Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified
Affected Languages: Not specified
Affected Technologies: Not specified