Sensitive Data Exposure Overview
Sensitive Data Exposure Overview
Sensitive data exposure occurs when an application fails to adequately protect sensitive information. This can include personally identifiable information (PII), financial data, healthcare information, credentials, or any data that should be kept confidential.These vulnerabilities can lead to data breaches, identity theft, credit card fraud, or other serious consequences. Sensitive data exposure can occur through various means, including insecure data storage, transmission of data in clear text, weak encryption, or improper access controls.Preventing sensitive data exposure requires implementing proper data protection measures throughout the application’s lifecycle, including secure storage, transmission, and access controls.
Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Data
Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Data
- Hash passwords using strong, adaptive algorithms (bcrypt, Argon2, PBKDF2)
- Encrypt sensitive data using strong encryption algorithms
- Use proper key management practices
- Consider using a dedicated secrets management service
- Implement proper access controls for sensitive data
- Minimize storage of sensitive data when possible
- Implement proper logging that doesn’t include sensitive data
- Regularly audit data storage practices
Insecure Data Transmission
Insecure Data Transmission
- Use HTTPS for all communications
- Implement HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS)
- Configure secure TLS settings
- Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
- Use secure cookies with the Secure flag
- Consider using certificate pinning for mobile applications
- Implement proper error handling for TLS errors
- Regularly update TLS configurations
Weak Cryptography
Weak Cryptography
- Use modern, strong encryption algorithms (AES-256, RSA-2048+)
- Use secure modes of operation (GCM, CBC with HMAC)
- Generate strong, random initialization vectors (IVs)
- Implement proper key management
- Use appropriate key lengths
- Keep cryptographic libraries updated
- Follow cryptographic best practices
- Consider using established cryptographic libraries instead of implementing your own
Improper Certificate Validation
Improper Certificate Validation
- Always validate SSL/TLS certificates
- Never disable certificate validation in production
- Use proper hostname verification
- Consider implementing certificate pinning for high-security applications
- Keep trusted certificate authorities updated
- Implement proper error handling for certificate validation failures
- Regularly update SSL/TLS libraries
- Consider using OWASP certificate validation tools
Sensitive Data in Logs
Sensitive Data in Logs
- Never log sensitive data (passwords, credit card numbers, SSNs, etc.)
- Implement data masking for partially displayed sensitive data
- Use appropriate log levels
- Implement proper access controls for log files
- Consider using a centralized logging solution with encryption
- Implement log rotation and retention policies
- Regularly audit logs for sensitive information
- Implement proper error handling that doesn’t log sensitive data
Sensitive Data in Error Messages
Sensitive Data in Error Messages
- Return generic error messages to clients
- Log detailed errors server-side without sensitive data
- Implement different error handling for development and production
- Avoid exposing stack traces, database errors, or system information
- Implement proper exception handling
- Use consistent error responses
- Consider implementing a central error handling mechanism
- Regularly review error messages for sensitive information
Sensitive Data in URLs
Sensitive Data in URLs
- Use POST requests with request bodies for sensitive data
- Never include passwords, tokens, or API keys in URLs
- Implement proper authentication mechanisms
- Use secure cookies or authorization headers for authentication
- Implement proper session management
- Be cautious with URL parameters for sensitive operations
- Consider implementing URL encryption for sensitive parameters
- Regularly audit URL patterns for sensitive data
Insecure Storage of Credentials
Insecure Storage of Credentials
- Use environment variables for configuration
- Consider using a secrets management service
- Never hardcode credentials in source code
- Implement proper access controls for configuration files
- Use different credentials for different environments
- Regularly rotate credentials
- Implement proper logging that doesn’t include credentials
- Consider using vault systems for storing sensitive credentials
Client-Side Data Exposure
Client-Side Data Exposure
- Minimize sensitive data stored on the client
- Use HttpOnly cookies for authentication tokens
- Never store highly sensitive data (credit cards, SSNs, etc.) on the client
- Implement proper session management
- Consider using server-side sessions for sensitive data
- Implement proper access controls for API endpoints
- Use secure cookies with appropriate flags
- Regularly audit client-side storage for sensitive data
Sensitive Data in Cache
Sensitive Data in Cache
- Set appropriate cache control headers for sensitive data
- Use ‘Cache-Control: no-store’ for highly sensitive pages
- Implement both HTTP headers and HTML meta tags for cache control
- Consider using HTTPS, which provides some protection against proxy caching
- Be cautious with CDN caching for sensitive data
- Implement proper session management
- Regularly test caching behavior for sensitive pages
- Consider implementing cache-busting techniques for sensitive resources
Sensitive Data Exposure Prevention Checklist
Sensitive Data Exposure Prevention Checklist
- Identify and classify sensitive data
- Implement proper encryption and hashing
- Use secure transmission protocols
- Implement proper access controls
- Apply the principle of data minimization
- Regularly audit and test security controls
- Keep all systems and dependencies updated
- Follow relevant compliance requirements