CWE-549

Missing Password Field Masking

Weakness Description

The product does not mask passwords during entry, increasing the potential for attackers to observe and capture passwords.

Potential Mitigations

ImplementationRequirements

Recommendations include requiring all password fields in your web application be masked to prevent other users from seeing this information.

Common Consequences

Access Control
Bypass Protection Mechanism

Detection Methods

Automated Static Analysis

Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.)

Effectiveness: High

Advertisement

Related Weaknesses