cwe-311-non-encrypted-storage

name	cwe-311-non-encrypted-storage
description	Use this skill when you need to remediate CWE-311 (Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data) vulnerabilities in Java code. Triggers on SAST findings, security reviews, or when fixing missing encryption of sensitive data issues.
version	1.0.0
license	MIT
tags	["security","java","cwe-311","remediation","sast"]

CWE-311 Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data

Description

Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data

Reference: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/311.html

OWASP Category: A02:2021 – Cryptographic Failures

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Vulnerable Pattern

❌ Example 1: Vulnerable Pattern

// VULNERABLE: Plaintext storage of sensitive data
Properties props = new Properties();
props.setProperty("db.password", "secretPassword123");
props.store(new FileOutputStream("config.properties"), null);  // Plaintext!

// VULNERABLE: Sensitive data in database without encryption
user.setSsn(socialSecurityNumber);  // Stored as plaintext in DB!
userRepository.save(user);

Why it's vulnerable: This pattern is vulnerable to Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data

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Deterministic Fix

✅ Secure Implementation: Secure Implementation

// SECURE: Encrypt sensitive configuration
public class EncryptedConfig {
    private final SecretKey key;

    public void storeSecret(String name, String value) throws Exception {
        Cipher cipher = Cipher.getInstance("AES/GCM/NoPadding");
        byte[] iv = new byte[12];
        new SecureRandom().nextBytes(iv);
        cipher.init(Cipher.ENCRYPT_MODE, key, new GCMParameterSpec(128, iv));

        byte[] encrypted = cipher.doFinal(value.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8));

        // Store IV + encrypted data
        String encoded = Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString(iv) + ":" +
                         Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString(encrypted);
        props.setProperty(name, encoded);
    }
}

// SECURE: JPA AttributeConverter for automatic encryption
@Converter
public class EncryptedStringConverter implements AttributeConverter<String, String> {
    @Override
    public String convertToDatabaseColumn(String plaintext) {
        return encrypt(plaintext);  // Encrypted before storage
    }

    @Override
    public String convertToEntityAttribute(String encrypted) {
        return decrypt(encrypted);  // Decrypted on read
    }
}

@Entity
public class User {
    @Convert(converter = EncryptedStringConverter.class)
    private String ssn;  // Automatically encrypted in DB
}

Why it's secure: Implements proper protection against Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data

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Detection Pattern

Look for these patterns in your codebase:

# Find plaintext sensitive data storage
grep -rn "password.*=\\|ssn.*=\\|secret.*=" --include="*.java" | grep -v "getParameter"

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Remediation Steps

1. Use AES-256-GCM for encrypting sensitive data

2. Store encryption keys separately from encrypted data

3. Use JPA AttributeConverter for transparent DB encryption

4. Consider using Jasypt for configuration encryption

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Key Imports

import javax.crypto.Cipher;

import javax.persistence.AttributeConverter;

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Verification

After remediation:

• Run SAST scanner to confirm vulnerability is resolved

• Review all instances of the vulnerable pattern

• Add unit tests that verify the secure implementation

• Check for similar patterns in related code

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Trigger Examples

Fix CWE-311 vulnerability
Resolve Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data issue
Secure this Java code against missing encryption of sensitive data
SAST reports CWE-311

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Common Vulnerable Locations

Layer	Files	Patterns

| Controller | *Controller.java | User input handling |

| Service | *Service.java | Business logic |

| Repository | *Repository.java | Data access |

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References

• CWE-311: Missing Encryption

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Source: Generated by Java CWE Security Skills Generator Last Updated: 2026-03-07