CWE-541: Inclusion of Sensitive Information in an Include File

What is Inclusion of Sensitive Information in an Include File?

• Overview: Inclusion of Sensitive Information in an Include File (CWE-541) occurs when sensitive data such as usernames, passwords, or system information is stored in files that are included in a project and can be accessed by unauthorized users if improperly managed.

• Exploitation Methods:

• Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by directly accessing include files if they are publicly accessible via web servers or other means.
• Common attack patterns involve traversing directories or predicting file names to locate include files containing sensitive data.

• Security Impact:

• Direct consequences of successful exploitation include unauthorized access to sensitive information, leading to potential data breaches.
• Potential cascading effects include compromised system integrity and further unauthorized access to other systems.
• Business impact could involve loss of customer trust, legal liabilities, and financial losses due to data breaches.

• Prevention Guidelines:

• Specific code-level fixes include avoiding storing sensitive information directly in include files and using environment variables or secure storage solutions instead.
• Security best practices involve setting proper permissions on include files and ensuring they are not accessible from the public web.
• Recommended tools and frameworks include using security-focused development frameworks that abstract sensitive information handling, and employing static code analysis tools to detect and mitigate such vulnerabilities.

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Technical Details

Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified

Affected Languages: Not specified

Affected Technologies: Not specified