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Hard coding sensitive information exposes that information to attackers. The severity of this rule can vary depending on the kind of information that is disclosed. Frequently, the information disclosed is password or key information, which can lead to remote exploitation. Consequently, a high severity rating is given but may be adjusted downwards according to the nature of the sensitive data.
Rule | Severity | Likelihood | Remediation Cost | Priority | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MSC03-J | High | Probable | Medium | P12 | L1 |
Automated Detection
| Tool | Version | Checker | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| CodeSonar |
FB.SECURITY.DMI_CONSTANT_DB_PASSWORD
FB.SECURITY.DMI_EMPTY_DB_PASSWORD
Hardcoded constant database password
Empty database
| JAVA.HARDCODED.PASSWD | Hardcoded Password (Java) |
| Coverity | 7.5 | HARDCODED_CREDENTIALS | Implemented |
| Fortify | 1.0 | Password_Management | Partially implemented |
| Parasoft Jtest |
| CERT.MSC03.HCCS CERT.MSC03.HCCK CERT.MSC03.AHCA | Avoid passing hardcoded usernames/passwords/URLs to database connection methods Avoid using hard-coded cryptographic keys Avoid hard-coding the arguments to certain methods |
| PMD | 1.0 | AvoidUsingHardCodedIP | Partially implemented |
| SonarQube |
|
|
| S1313 S2068 | Partially implemented |
Related Vulnerabilities
GERONIMO-2925 describes a vulnerability in the WAS CE tool, which is based on Apache Geronimo. It uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) to encrypt passwords but uses a hard-coded key that is identical for all the WAS CE server instances. Consequently, anyone who can download the software is provided with the key to every instance of the tool. This vulnerability was resolved by having each new installation of the tool generate its own unique key and use it from that time on.
Related Guidelines
MSC18-C. Be careful while handling sensitive data, such as passwords, in program code | |
Hard-coded Password [XYP] | |
CWE-259, Use of Hard-Coded Password |
Android Implementation Details
Hard-coded information can be easily obtained on Android by using the apktool to decompile an application or by using dex2jar to convert a dex file to a jar file.
Bibliography
Section 11.2, "Outbound Passwords: Keep Passwords out of Source Code" | |
"Unsafe Mobile Code: Database Access" | |
Section 9.4, "Private Object State and Object Immutability" |
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