CVE-2019-0285
Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in The
Executive Summary
CVE-2019-0285 is a critical severity vulnerability affecting pii-secrets. It is classified as Cleartext Storage. Ensure your systems and dependencies are patched immediately to mitigate exposure risks.
Precogs AI Insight
"Precogs PII & Secrets Scanner automatically identifies hardcoded credentials, exposed API keys, and personally identifiable information leaks across repositories, CI/CD pipelines, and deployed artifacts."
What is this vulnerability?
CVE-2019-0285 is categorized as a critical Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information flaw with a CVSS base score of 9.8. Based on our vulnerability intelligence, this issue occurs when the application fails to securely handle untrusted data boundaries.
The .NET SDK WebForm Viewer in SAP Crystal Reports for Visual Studio (fixed in version 2010) discloses sensitive database information including credentials which can be misused by the attacker.
This architectural defect enables adversaries to bypass intended security controls, directly manipulating the application's execution state or data layer. Immediate strategic intervention is required.
Risk Assessment
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| CVSS Base Score | 9.8 (CRITICAL) |
| Vector String | CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Published | April 10, 2019 |
| Last Modified | November 21, 2024 |
| Related CWEs | CWE-312 |
Impact on Systems
✅ Credential Theft: Exposed secrets enable unauthorized access to infrastructure, cloud services, and third-party integrations.
✅ Compliance Violation: Leaking PII or credentials may violate GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and SOC 2 requirements.
✅ Supply Chain Risk: Compromised credentials in public repositories can propagate to downstream consumers.
How to Fix and Mitigate CVE-2019-0285
- Apply Vendor Patches: Upgrade affected components to their latest, non-vulnerable versions immediately.
- Implement Input Validation: Ensure all user-supplied data is validated, sanitized, and type-checked before processing.
- Deploy Runtime Protection: Use Precogs continuous monitoring to detect exploitation attempts in real time.
- Audit Dependencies: Review and update all third-party libraries and transitive dependencies.
Defending with Precogs AI
Precogs PII & Secrets Scanner automatically identifies hardcoded credentials, exposed API keys, and personally identifiable information leaks across repositories, CI/CD pipelines, and deployed artifacts.
Use Precogs to continuously scan your codebase, binaries, APIs, and infrastructure for this vulnerability class and related attack patterns. Our AI-powered detection engine combines static analysis with threat intelligence to identify exploitable weaknesses before attackers do.
Vulnerability Code Signature
Attack Data Flow
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| Source | User credentials or sensitive data |
| Vector | Data is stored without encryption or hashing |
| Sink | Database or file system |
| Impact | Data breach, unauthorized access |
Vulnerable Code Pattern
// ❌ VULNERABLE: Cleartext Storage
public void savePassword(String username, String password) {
// Taint sink: saving password in plain text
db.execute("INSERT INTO users (username, password) VALUES (?, ?)", username, password);
}
Secure Code Pattern
// ✅ SECURE: Secure Hashing
import org.springframework.security.crypto.bcrypt.BCryptPasswordEncoder;
public void savePassword(String username, String password) {
BCryptPasswordEncoder encoder = new BCryptPasswordEncoder();
String hashedPassword = encoder.encode(password);
// Sanitized storage
db.execute("INSERT INTO users (username, password) VALUES (?, ?)", username, hashedPassword);
}
How Precogs Detects This
Precogs PII & Secrets Scanner continuously monitors codebases for insecure storage of sensitive information and reversible encryption.