{"@ID": "316", "@Name": "Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Memory", "@Abstraction": "Variant", "@Structure": "Simple", "@Status": "Draft", "Description": "The product stores sensitive information in cleartext in memory.", "Extended_Description": {"xhtml:p": ["The sensitive memory might be saved to disk, stored in a core dump, or remain uncleared if the product crashes, or if the programmer does not properly clear the memory before freeing it.", "It could be argued that such problems are usually only exploitable by those with administrator privileges. However, swapping could cause the memory to be written to disk and leave it accessible to physical attack afterwards. Core dump files might have insecure permissions or be stored in archive files that are accessible to untrusted people. Or, uncleared sensitive memory might be inadvertently exposed to attackers due to another weakness."]}, "Related_Weaknesses": {"Related_Weakness": {"@Nature": "ChildOf", "@CWE_ID": "312", "@View_ID": "1000", "@Ordinal": "Primary"}}, "Weakness_Ordinalities": {"Weakness_Ordinality": {"Ordinality": "Primary"}}, "Applicable_Platforms": {"Language": {"@Class": "Not Language-Specific", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}}, "Modes_Of_Introduction": {"Introduction": {"Phase": "Architecture and Design", "Note": "OMISSION: This weakness is caused by missing a security tactic during the architecture and design phase."}}, "Common_Consequences": {"Consequence": {"Scope": "Confidentiality", "Impact": "Read Memory"}}, "Observed_Examples": {"Observed_Example": [{"Reference": "CVE-2025-24870", "Description": "GUI for a desktop client stores credentials in program memory, allowing privilege escalation", "Link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-24870"}, {"Reference": "CVE-2001-1517", "Description": "Sensitive authentication information in cleartext in memory.", "Link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2001-1517"}, {"Reference": "CVE-2001-0984", "Description": "Password protector leaves passwords in memory when window is minimized, even when \"clear password when minimized\" is set.", "Link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2001-0984"}, {"Reference": "CVE-2003-0291", "Description": "SSH client does not clear credentials from memory.", "Link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2003-0291"}]}, "Affected_Resources": {"Affected_Resource": "Memory"}, "Taxonomy_Mappings": {"Taxonomy_Mapping": [{"@Taxonomy_Name": "PLOVER", "Entry_Name": "Plaintext Storage in Memory"}, {"@Taxonomy_Name": "Software Fault Patterns", "Entry_ID": "SFP23", "Entry_Name": "Exposed Data"}]}, "Mapping_Notes": {"Usage": "Allowed", "Rationale": "This CWE entry is at the Variant level of abstraction, which is a preferred level of abstraction for mapping to the root causes of vulnerabilities.", "Comments": "Carefully read both the name and description to ensure that this mapping is an appropriate fit. Do not try to 'force' a mapping to a lower-level Base/Variant simply to comply with this preferred level of abstraction.", "Reasons": {"Reason": {"@Type": "Acceptable-Use"}}}, "Notes": {"Note": [{"@Type": "Relationship", "#text": "This could be a resultant weakness, e.g. if the compiler removes code that was intended to wipe memory."}, {"@Type": "Terminology", "#text": "Different people use \"cleartext\" and \"plaintext\" to mean the same thing: the lack of encryption. However, within cryptography, these have more precise meanings. Plaintext is the information just before it is fed into a cryptographic algorithm, including already-encrypted text. Cleartext is any information that is unencrypted, although it might be in an encoded form that is not easily human-readable (such as base64 encoding)."}]}, "Content_History": {"Submission": {"Submission_Name": "PLOVER", "Submission_Date": "2006-07-19", "Submission_Version": "Draft 3", "Submission_ReleaseDate": "2006-07-19"}, "Modification": [{"Modification_Name": "Eric Dalci", "Modification_Organization": "Cigital", "Modification_Date": "2008-07-01", "Modification_Version": "1.0", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2008-09-09", "Modification_Comment": "updated Time_of_Introduction"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2008-09-08", "Modification_Version": "1.0", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2008-09-09", "Modification_Comment": "updated Description, Relationships, Other_Notes, Relationship_Notes, Taxonomy_Mappings"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2011-06-01", "Modification_Version": "1.13", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2011-06-01", "Modification_Comment": "updated Common_Consequences"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2012-05-11", "Modification_Version": "2.2", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2012-05-15", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2013-07-17", "Modification_Version": "2.5", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2013-07-17", "Modification_Comment": "updated Applicable_Platforms, Description, Name, Other_Notes, Potential_Mitigations, Terminology_Notes"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2014-07-30", "Modification_Version": "2.8", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2014-07-31", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2017-11-08", "Modification_Version": "3.0", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2017-11-08", "Modification_Comment": "updated Modes_of_Introduction, Observed_Examples, Relationships"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2020-02-24", "Modification_Version": "4.0", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2020-02-24", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2021-10-28", "Modification_Version": "4.6", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2021-10-28", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2023-01-31", "Modification_Version": "4.10", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2023-01-31", "Modification_Comment": "updated Description"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2023-04-27", "Modification_Version": "4.11", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2023-04-27", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2023-06-29", "Modification_Version": "4.12", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2023-06-29", "Modification_Comment": "updated Mapping_Notes"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2024-02-29", "Modification_Version": "4.14", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2024-02-29", "Modification_Comment": "updated Observed_Examples"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2025-12-11", "Modification_Version": "4.19", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2025-12-11", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships, Weakness_Ordinalities"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2026-04-30", "Modification_Version": "4.20", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2026-04-30", "Modification_Comment": "updated Observed_Examples"}], "Previous_Entry_Name": {"@Date": "2013-07-17", "#text": "Plaintext Storage in Memory"}}}