CWE-532 Sensitive Information in Logs

Description

Sensitive Information in Logs

Reference: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/532.html

OWASP Category: A09:2021 – Security Logging and Monitoring Failures

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Vulnerable Pattern

❌ Example 1: Vulnerable Pattern

// VULNERABLE: Password in log
log.debug("Login attempt: user={}, password={}", username, password);

// VULNERABLE: Token logged
log.info("API call with token: {}", authToken);

Why it's vulnerable: This pattern is vulnerable to Sensitive Information in Logs

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Deterministic Fix

✅ Secure Implementation: Secure Implementation

// SECURE: Never log sensitive data
log.debug("Login attempt: user={}", username);

// SECURE: Mask tokens
log.info("API call with token: {}***",
    authToken.substring(0, Math.min(4, authToken.length())));

// Better: Use marker for sensitive fields
@Slf4j
public class SecureLogger {
    public static void logSanitized(String msg, Object... args) {
        Object[] sanitized = Arrays.stream(args)
            .map(SecureLogger::sanitize)
            .toArray();
        log.info(msg, sanitized);
    }
}

Why it's secure: Implements proper protection against Sensitive Information in Logs

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Detection Pattern

Look for these patterns in your codebase:

# Find sensitive data in logs
grep -rn "log.*password\\|log.*token\\|log.*secret" --include="*.java"

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Remediation Steps

1. Never log passwords, tokens, or keys

2. Use sanitization wrappers for logging

3. Implement log filtering for sensitive patterns

4. Review log output regularly

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Key Imports

import org.slf4j.Logger;

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Verification

After remediation:

• Run SAST scanner to confirm vulnerability is resolved

• Review all instances of the vulnerable pattern

• Add unit tests that verify the secure implementation

• Check for similar patterns in related code

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Trigger Examples

Fix CWE-532 vulnerability
Resolve Sensitive Information in Logs issue
Secure this Java code against sensitive information in logs
SAST reports CWE-532

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Common Vulnerable Locations

Layer	Files	Patterns

| Controller | *Controller.java | User input handling |

| Service | *Service.java | Business logic |

| Repository | *Repository.java | Data access |

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References

• CWE-532: Sensitive Info in Logs

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Source: Generated by Java CWE Security Skills Generator Last Updated: 2026-03-07