Applications in general should avoid use of insecure or weak cryptographic primitives. Security-related applications must avoid use of insecure or weak cryptographic primitives. The computational capacity of modern computers permits circumvention of such cryptography via brute-force attacks. For example, the DES encryption algorithm is considered highly insecure; messages encrypted using DES have been decrypted by brute force within a single day by machines such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation's (EFF) Deep Crack.
This noncompliant code example encrypts a String input by using a weak cryptographic algorithm (DES).
SecretKey key = KeyGenerator.getInstance("DES").generateKey();
Cipher cipher = Cipher.getInstance("DES");
cipher.init(Cipher.ENCRYPT_MODE, key);
// Encode bytes as UTF8; strToBeEncrypted contains the input string
// that is to be encrypted
byte[] encoded = strToBeEncrypted.getBytes("UTF8");
// Perform encryption
byte[] encrypted = cipher.doFinal(encoded);
|
This compliant solution uses the more secure AES algorithm to perform the encryption. Decryption follows similar logic and has been omitted from this discussion.
Cipher cipher = Cipher.getInstance("AES");
KeyGenerator kgen = KeyGenerator.getInstance("AES");
kgen.init(128); // 192 and 256 bits may be unavailable
SecretKey skey = kgen.generateKey();
byte[] raw = skey.getEncoded();
SecretKeySpec skeySpec = new SecretKeySpec(raw, "AES");
cipher.init(Cipher.ENCRYPT_MODE, skeySpec);
// Encode bytes as UTF8; strToBeEncrypted contains the input string
// that is to be encrypted
byte[] encoded = strToBeEncrypted.getBytes("UTF8");
// Perform encryption
byte[] encrypted = cipher.doFinal(encoded);
|
Use of mathematically and computationally insecure cryptographic algorithms can result in the disclosure of sensitive information.
Rule |
Severity |
Likelihood |
Remediation Cost |
Priority |
Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MSC01-J |
medium |
probable |
medium |
P8 |
L2 |
Search for vulnerabilities resulting from the violation of this rule on the CERT website.
\[java:[API 2006|AA. Bibliography#API 06]\] \[java:[MITRE 2009|AA. Bibliography#MITRE 09]\] [CWE ID 327|http://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/327.html] "Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm" |
49. Miscellaneous (MSC) 49. Miscellaneous (MSC)