CWE-212: Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer

BaseIncomplete

The product stores, transfers, or shares a resource that contains sensitive information, but it does not properly remove that information before the product makes the resource available to unauthorized actors.

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Extended Description

Resources that may contain sensitive data include documents, packets, messages, databases, etc. While this data may be useful to an individual user or small set of users who share the resource, it may need to be removed before the resource can be shared outside of the trusted group. The process of removal is sometimes called cleansing or scrubbing. For example, a product for editing documents might not remove sensitive data such as reviewer comments or the local pathname where the document is stored. Or, a proxy might not remove an internal IP address from headers before making an outgoing request to an Internet site.

Technical Details

Structure
Simple
Vulnerability Mapping
ALLOWED

Applicable To

Languages
Not Language-Specific
Platforms

Source-backed guidance

Additional facts reviewed against primary or authoritative security sources.

Verify controls for CWE-212 with SSDF evidence

Use NIST SSDF verification and vulnerability-response practices to detect CWE-212, Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer, throughout the product lifecycle. Derive review questions, static or dynamic checks, and negative tests from the CWE's causal behavior; define the components and lifecycle stages each check covers; and retain findings with enough evidence to distinguish the root cause from symptoms and impacts. Track escapes and false negatives, then improve the verification plan after every confirmed occurrence.

NIST SP 800-218 Secure Software Development Framework — National Institute of Standards and Technology

Apply Separation of Privilege controls for Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer

MITRE associates mitigation with Requirements, Architecture and Design, Implementation, and Operation; the listed strategies include Separation of Privilege, and Attack Surface Reduction; documented detection approaches include Automated Static Analysis. Use these source-defined anchors to turn CWE-212 into implementation, review, and verification checks for the affected component.

CWE-212: Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer — MITRE CWE

Triage CWE-212 against known exploitation evidence

Use CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog to test whether a vulnerability mapped to CWE-212, Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer, has evidence of exploitation in the wild. Confirm the CVE-to-CWE root-cause mapping independently before attaching the example, then capture the affected product, required action, and remediation deadline. A missing KEV match is not evidence that the weakness is unexploited, and a KEV entry must not be generalized to every occurrence of this CWE.

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog — Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Apply precise root-cause mapping to CWE-212

Apply MITRE's full root-cause mapping guidance when using CWE-212, Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer. Separate weakness language from attacker prerequisites and technical impact, check the entry's abstraction and vulnerability-mapping notes, and prefer the most specific Base or Variant supported by the evidence. Record the rejected alternatives and require an independent review before the mapping is used for remediation trends or program metrics.

CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Guidance — MITRE CWE

Validate CWE-212 with root-cause mapping checks

Apply MITRE's root-cause mapping quick tips to CWE-212, Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer. Confirm the finding describes the causal weakness rather than an impact or attack pattern, compare the abstraction and mapping notes with plausible alternatives, and have a second reviewer challenge the selection. Preserve the evidence and reasoning so recurring defects can be measured against one consistent identifier.

CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Quick Tips — MITRE CWE

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CWE-212: Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer?+

CWE-212: Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product stores, transfers, or shares a resource that contains sensitive information, but it does not properly remove that information before the product makes the resource available to unauthorized actors. Resources that may contain sensitive data include documents, packets, messages, databases, etc. While this data may be useful to an individual user or small set of users who share the resource, it may need to be removed before the resource can be shared outside of the trusted group. The process of removal is sometimes called cleansing or scrubbing. For example, a product for editing documents might not remove sensitive data such as reviewer comments or the local pathname where the document is stored. Or, a proxy might not remove an internal IP address from headers before making an outgoing request to an Internet site.

What are the security consequences of Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer?+

If exploited, CWE-212 (Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer) it can compromise Confidentiality, leading to outcomes such as Read Files or Directories and Read Application Data.

How do you prevent or mitigate Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer?+

Recommended mitigations for CWE-212 include: Clearly specify which information should be regarded as private or sensitive, and require that the product offers functionality that allows the user to cleanse the sensitive information from the resource before it is published or exported to other parties. Avoid errors related to improper resource shutdown or release (CWE-404), which may leave the sensitive data within the resource if it is in an incomplete state.

How is Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer detected?+

CWE-212 can be detected using Automated Static Analysis. Combining automated tooling with manual review typically yields the best coverage.

Which programming languages are affected by Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer?+

CWE-212 commonly affects Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.

What are real-world examples of Improper Removal of Sensitive Information Before Storage or Transfer?+

MITRE documents real CVEs mapped to CWE-212, including CVE-2023-1974, CVE-2020-26220, CVE-2019-3733, CVE-2005-0406 and CVE-2002-0704. You can look up the full details of each CVE, including CVSS scores and remediation guidance, on our CVE Lookup tool.

What is the difference between a CWE and a CVE?+

A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-212 describes a category of software weakness — the underlying flaw type. A CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) identifies a specific, real-world vulnerability in a particular product. In short, a CWE is the kind of mistake, and a CVE is an instance of that mistake being found in software.

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