CWE-257 — Storing Passwords in a Recoverable Format
CWE-257: Storing Passwords in a Recoverable Format
MITRE CWE weakness
| Kind | Weakness |
| Abstraction | Base |
| Status | Incomplete |
| Likelihood of exploit | High |
Description
The storage of passwords in a recoverable format makes them subject to password reuse attacks by malicious users. In fact, it should be noted that recoverable encrypted passwords provide no significant benefit over plaintext passwords since they are subject not only to reuse by malicious attackers but also by malicious insiders. If a system administrator can recover a password directly, or use a brute force search on the available information, the administrator can use the password on other accounts.
Common consequences
- Confidentiality, Access Control: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
- Access Control: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
Mitigations
Architecture and Design — Use strong, non-reversible encryption to protect stored passwords.
References
- CWE page: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/257.html
- CWE list: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/index.html