Base weakness
Incomplete
CWE-256: Plaintext Storage of a Password
The product stores a password in plaintext within resources such as memory or files.
188
Recorded CVEs
With this primary weakness
0
KEVs
In the CISA KEV catalog
High
Likelihood of exploit
Per MITRE
Base
Abstraction
MITRE classification
Overview
CWE-256 (Plaintext Storage of a Password) is a base-level software weakness catalogued by MITRE in the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE). It describes a recurring type of mistake that can lead to exploitable security vulnerabilities.
Real-world CVEs
188 recorded CVEs are caused by CWE-256 (Plaintext Storage of a Password). The highest-severity and most recent are shown first. 23 new CWE-256 CVEs have been recorded so far in 2026 (51 in 2025).