The product stores or transmits sensitive data using an encryption scheme that is theoretically sound, but is not strong enough for the level of protection required.
A weak encryption scheme can be subjected to brute force attacks that have a reasonable chance of succeeding using current attack methods and resources.

Primary

Architecture and Design
COMMISSION: This weakness refers to an incorrect design related to an architectural security tactic.

Access Control
Confidentiality
Bypass Protection Mechanism
Read Application Data
An attacker may be able to decrypt the data using brute force attacks.

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.)
High

Architecture and Design
Use an encryption scheme that is currently considered to be strong by experts in the field.

CVE-2001-1546
Weak encryption
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2001-1546

CVE-2004-2172
Weak encryption (chosen plaintext attack)
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2004-2172

CVE-2002-1682
Weak encryption
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2002-1682

CVE-2002-1697
Weak encryption produces same ciphertext from the same plaintext blocks.
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2002-1697

CVE-2002-1739
Weak encryption
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2002-1739

CVE-2005-2281
Weak encryption scheme
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2005-2281

CVE-2002-1872
Weak encryption (XOR)
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2002-1872

CVE-2002-1910
Weak encryption (reversible algorithm).
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2002-1910

CVE-2002-1946
Weak encryption (one-to-one mapping).
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2002-1946

CVE-2002-1975
Encryption error uses fixed salt, simplifying brute force / dictionary attacks (overlaps randomness).
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2002-1975

Weak Encryption

A8
Insecure Cryptographic Storage
CWE More Specific

A9
Insecure Communications
CWE More Specific

A8
Insecure Storage
CWE More Specific

Allowed-with-Review
This CWE entry is a Class and might have Base-level children that would be more appropriate
Examine children of this entry to see if there is a better fit

PLOVER
2006-07-19
Draft 3
2006-07-19

Veracode
2008-08-15
Suggested OWASP Top Ten 2004 mapping

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2008-09-08
updated Maintenance_Notes, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2009-03-10
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2009-05-27
updated Related_Attack_Patterns

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2009-07-08
Critical
Clarified entry to focus on algorithms that do not have major weaknesses, but may not be strong enough for some purposes.

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2009-07-27
updated Common_Consequences, Description, Maintenance_Notes, Name

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2009-10-29
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2010-02-16
updated References

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2010-06-21
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2011-06-01
updated Common_Consequences

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2012-05-11
updated References, Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2013-07-17
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2014-07-30
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2015-12-07
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2017-11-08
updated Applicable_Platforms, Modes_of_Introduction, References, Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2018-03-27
updated References, Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2019-01-03
updated Related_Attack_Patterns

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2019-06-20
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2020-02-24
updated Maintenance_Notes, Potential_Mitigations, Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2021-10-28
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2023-01-31
updated Description, Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2023-04-27
updated Detection_Factors, Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2023-06-29
updated Mapping_Notes

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2025-12-11
4.19
2025-12-11
updated Relationships, Weakness_Ordinalities

Weak Encryption