CWE-540: Inclusion of Sensitive Information in Source Code
Learn about CWE-540 (Inclusion of Sensitive Information in Source Code), its security impact, exploitation methods, and prevention guidelines.
What is Inclusion of Sensitive Information in Source Code?
• Overview: Inclusion of Sensitive Information in Source Code (CWE-540) occurs when developers accidentally leave sensitive information, such as credentials or internal logic, within source code that is accessible to unauthorized users.
• Exploitation Methods:
- Attackers can access source code files directly from servers or repositories if proper access controls are not in place.
- Common attack patterns include searching for known file paths, using search engines to find exposed code, and exploiting misconfigurations in version control systems.
• Security Impact:
- Direct consequences include unauthorized access to sensitive data like passwords, API keys, or database connection strings.
- Potential cascading effects involve attackers gaining deeper access to systems, leading to data breaches or further exploitation.
- Business impact can be severe, including financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties.
• Prevention Guidelines:
- Specific code-level fixes include removing hard-coded credentials and sensitive information from source code and using environment variables or secure vaults instead.
- Security best practices involve regularly reviewing code to ensure no sensitive information is accidentally left behind and implementing strict access controls for code repositories.
- Recommended tools and frameworks include static analysis tools to scan for sensitive information and implementing continuous integration pipelines that automatically check for such vulnerabilities.
Technical Details
Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified
Affected Languages: Not specified
Affected Technologies: Not specified