The storage of passwords in a recoverable format makes them subject to password reuse attacks by malicious users. In fact, it should be noted that recoverable encrypted passwords provide no significant benefit over plaintext passwords since they are subject not only to reuse by malicious attackers but also by malicious insiders. If a system administrator can recover a password directly, or use a brute force search on the available information, the administrator can use the password on other accounts.

Primary

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

High

Confidentiality
Access Control
Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
User's passwords may be revealed.

Access Control
Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
Revealed passwords may be reused elsewhere to impersonate the users in question.

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 strong, non-reversible encryption to protect stored passwords.

Both of these examples verify a password by comparing it to a stored compressed version.

int VerifyAdmin(char *password) {if (strcmp(compress(password), compressed_password)) {printf("Incorrect Password!\n");return(0);}printf("Entering Diagnostic Mode...\n");return(1);}

int VerifyAdmin(String password) {if (passwd.Equals(compress(password), compressed_password)) {return(0);}
//Diagnostic Mode
return(1);}

Because a compression algorithm is used instead of a one way hashing algorithm, an attacker can recover compressed passwords stored in the database.

The following examples show a portion of properties and configuration files for Java and ASP.NET applications. The files include username and password information but they are stored in cleartext.
This Java example shows a properties file with a cleartext username / password pair.

# Java Web App ResourceBundle properties file
...webapp.ldap.username=secretUsernamewebapp.ldap.password=secretPassword...

The following example shows a portion of a configuration file for an ASP.Net application. This configuration file includes username and password information for a connection to a database but the pair is stored in cleartext.

...<connectionStrings><add name="ud_DEV" connectionString="connectDB=uDB; uid=db2admin; pwd=password; dbalias=uDB;" providerName="System.Data.Odbc" /></connectionStrings>...

Username and password information should not be included in a configuration file or a properties file in cleartext as this will allow anyone who can read the file access to the resource. If possible, encrypt this information.

CVE-2022-30018
A messaging platform serializes all elements of User/Group objects, making private information available to adversaries
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-30018

Storing passwords in a recoverable format

SFP23
Exposed Data

Allowed
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.

The meaning of this entry needs to be investigated more closely, especially with respect to what is meant by "recoverable."

CLASP
2006-07-19
Draft 3
2006-07-19

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2008-09-08
updated Common_Consequences, Relationships, Other_Notes, Taxonomy_Mappings, Weakness_Ordinalities

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2008-10-14
updated Demonstrative_Examples, Description, Maintenance_Notes, Potential_Mitigations

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2010-02-16
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2011-06-01
updated Common_Consequences, Demonstrative_Examples

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

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2012-10-30
updated Demonstrative_Examples

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2014-06-23
updated Description, Other_Notes

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2014-07-30
updated Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2017-11-08
updated Applicable_Platforms, Causal_Nature, Demonstrative_Examples, Likelihood_of_Exploit, Modes_of_Introduction, Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2020-02-24
updated References, Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2021-03-15
updated Demonstrative_Examples, Maintenance_Notes

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2021-10-28
updated 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
2023-10-26
updated Observed_Examples