CWE-540: Inclusion of Sensitive Information in Source Code

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.

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Technical Details

Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified

Affected Languages: Not specified

Affected Technologies: Not specified