CWE-492: Use of Inner Class Containing Sensitive Data
Inner classes are translated into classes that are accessible at package scope and may expose code that the programmer intended to keep private to attackers.
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Overview
Inner classes quietly introduce several security concerns because of the way they are translated into Java bytecode. In Java source code, it appears that an inner class can be declared to be accessible only by the enclosing class, but Java bytecode has no concept of an inner class, so the compiler must transform an inner class declaration into a peer class with package level access to the original outer class. More insidiously, since an inner class can access private fields in its enclosing class, once an inner class becomes a peer class in bytecode, the compiler converts private fields accessed by the inner class into protected fields.
Common consequences
What can happen when CWE-492 is exploited.
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Affects: Confidentiality
"Inner Classes" data confidentiality aspects can often be overcome.
How it happens
When it is introduced
Typically introduced during these phases of the software lifecycle.
Applies to
Languages
How to prevent it
Practical mitigations for CWE-492, grouped by where in the lifecycle they apply.