The accidental leaking of sensitive information through sent
data refers to the transmission of data which are either sensitive in and of
itself or useful in the further exploitation of the system through standard data
channels.
Time of Introduction
Implementation
Applicable Platforms
Languages
All
Common Consequences
Scope
Effect
Confidentiality
Data leakage results in the compromise of data confidentiality.
Demonstrative Examples
Example 1
The following is an actual mysql error statement:
(Result)
SQL
Warning: mysql_pconnect(): Access denied for user:
'root@localhost' (Using password: N1nj4) in
/usr/local/www/wi-data/includes/database.inc on line 4
Potential Mitigations
Phase
Description
Requirements specification: Specify data output such that no sensitive
data is sent.
Implementation
Ensure that any possibly sensitive data specified in the requirements
is verified with designers to ensure that it is either a calculated risk
or mitigated elsewhere. Any information that is not necessary to the
functionality should be removed in order to lower both the overhead and
the possibility of security sensitive data being sent.
Compartmentalize your system to have "safe" areas where trust
boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go
outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing
with a compartment outside of the safe area.
Setup default error message to handle unexpected errors.
Description
