CWE-541: Inclusion of Sensitive Information in an Include File
Learn about CWE-541 (Inclusion of Sensitive Information in an Include File), its security impact, exploitation methods, and prevention guidelines.
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.
Technical Details
Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified
Affected Languages: Not specified
Affected Technologies: Not specified