CWE-525: Use of Web Browser Cache Containing Sensitive Information
Description
The web application does not use an appropriate caching policy that specifies the extent to which each web page and associated form fields should be cached.
- Abstraction
- VariantA weakness tied to a specific language, technology or resource.
- Likelihood of exploit
- Not rated by MITRE
- Status
- Incomplete
Common consequences
- Confidentiality
Read Application Data
Browsers often store information in a client-side cache, which can leave behind sensitive information for other users to find and exploit, such as passwords or credit card numbers. The locations at most risk include public terminals, such as those in libraries and Internet cafes.
Potential mitigations
- Architecture and Design
Protect information stored in cache.
- Implementation
Use a restrictive caching policy for forms and web pages that potentially contain sensitive information, such as no-cache in the Cache-Control header.
- Architecture and Design
Do not store unnecessarily sensitive information in the cache.
- Architecture and Design
Consider using encryption in the cache.