A process is invoked with sensitive command-line arguments, environment variables, or other elements that can be seen by other processes on the operating system.
Many operating systems allow a user to list information about processes that are owned by other users. Other users could see information such as command line arguments or environment variable settings. When this data contains sensitive information such as credentials, it might allow other users to launch an attack against the product or related resources.
| Nature | Mapping | Type | ID | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChildOf | Allowed | B | 497 | Exposure of Sensitive System Information to an Unauthorized Control Sphere |
| ParentOf | Allowed | V | 526 | Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable |
| Nature | Mapping | Type | ID | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MemberOf | Prohibited | C | 199 | Information Management Errors |
| MemberOf | Prohibited | C | 963 | SFP Secondary Cluster: Exposed Data |
| MemberOf | Prohibited | C | 1016 | Limit Exposure |
| MemberOf | Prohibited | C | 1417 | Comprehensive Categorization: Sensitive Information Exposure |
| Nature | Mapping | Type | ID | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MemberOf | Prohibited | BS | BOSS-294 | Not Language-Specific Weaknesses |
| MemberOf | Prohibited | BS | BOSS-328 | Read Application Data (impact) |
| Nature | Mapping | Type | ID | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MemberOf | Prohibited | C | 1016 | Limit Exposure |
| Nature | Mapping | Type | ID | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MemberOf | Prohibited | C | 199 | Information Management Errors |
| Nature | Mapping | Type | ID | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MemberOf | Prohibited | C | 963 | SFP Secondary Cluster: Exposed Data |
| Scope | Likelihood | Impact | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confidentiality | N/A | Read Application Data | N/A |
N/A
REALIZATION: This weakness is caused during implementation of an architectural security tactic.
N/A
In the example below, the password for a keystore file is read from a system property.
If the property is defined on the command line when the program is invoked (using the -D... syntax), the password may be displayed in the OS process list.
| Reference | Description |
|---|---|
| CVE-2005-1387 | password passed on command line |
| CVE-2005-2291 | password passed on command line |
| CVE-2001-1565 | username/password on command line allows local users to view via "ps" or other process listing programs |
| CVE-2004-1948 | Username/password on command line allows local users to view via "ps" or other process listing programs. |
| CVE-1999-1270 | PGP passphrase provided as command line argument. |
| CVE-2004-1058 | Kernel race condition allows reading of environment variables of a process that is still spawning. |
| CVE-2021-32638 | Code analysis product passes access tokens as a command-line parameter or through an environment variable, making them visible to other processes via the ps command. |
| Ordinality | Description |
|---|
This CWE entry is at the Base level of abstraction, which is a preferred level of abstraction for mapping to the root causes of vulnerabilities.
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.
Under-studied, especially environment variables.
N/A
| Taxonomy Name | Entry ID | Fit | Entry Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLOVER | N/A | N/A | Process information infoleak to other processes |
| Software Fault Patterns | SFP23 | N/A | Exposed Data |
| ID | Name |
|---|