Storing a password in plaintext may result in a system compromise.
Password management issues occur when a password is stored in plaintext in an application's properties, configuration file, or memory. Storing a plaintext password in a configuration file allows anyone who can read the file access to the password-protected resource. In some contexts, even storage of a plaintext password in memory is considered a security risk if the password is not cleared immediately after it is used.
Threat Mapped score: 3.25
Industry: Finiancial
Threat priority: P2 - Serious (High)
CVE: CVE-2022-30275
Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) uses a driver that relies on a password stored in plaintext.
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| Phase | Note |
|---|---|
| Architecture and Design | OMISSION: This weakness is caused by missing a security tactic during the architecture and design phase. |
| Architecture and Design | Developers sometimes believe that they cannot defend the application from someone who has access to the configuration, but this belief makes an attacker's job easier. |
Intro: The following code reads a password from a properties file and uses the password to connect to a database.
Body: This code will run successfully, but anyone who has access to config.properties can read the value of password. If a devious employee has access to this information, they can use it to break into the system.
... Properties prop = new Properties(); prop.load(new FileInputStream("config.properties")); String password = prop.getProperty("password"); DriverManager.getConnection(url, usr, password); ...Intro: The following code reads a password from the registry and uses the password to create a new network credential.
Body: This code will run successfully, but anyone who has access to the registry key used to store the password can read the value of password. If a devious employee has access to this information, they can use it to break into the system
... String password = regKey.GetValue(passKey).toString(); NetworkCredential netCred = new NetworkCredential(username,password,domain); ...Intro: The following examples show a portion of properties and configuration files for Java and ASP.NET applications. The files include username and password information but they are stored in cleartext.
Body: This Java example shows a properties file with a cleartext username / password pair.
# Java Web App ResourceBundle properties file ... webapp.ldap.username=secretUsername webapp.ldap.password=secretPassword ...Intro: In 2022, the OT:ICEFALL study examined products by 10 different Operational Technology (OT) vendors. The researchers reported 56 vulnerabilities and said that the products were "insecure by design" [REF-1283]. If exploited, these vulnerabilities often allowed adversaries to change how the products operated, ranging from denial of service to changing the code that the products executed. Since these products were often used in industries such as power, electrical, water, and others, there could even be safety implications.
Body: At least one OT product stored a password in plaintext.