Description
The product logs too much information, making log files hard to process and possibly hindering recovery efforts or forensic analysis after an attack.
While logging is a good practice in general, and very high levels of logging are appropriate for debugging stages of development, too much logging in a production environment might hinder a system administrator's ability to detect anomalous conditions. This can provide cover for an attacker while attempting to penetrate a system, clutter the audit trail for forensic analysis, or make it more difficult to debug problems in a production environment.
Potential Impact
Availability
DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU), DoS: Resource Consumption (Other)
Non-Repudiation
Hide Activities
Non-Repudiation
Hide Activities
Mitigations & Prevention
Suppress large numbers of duplicate log messages and replace them with periodic summaries. For example, syslog may include an entry that states "last message repeated X times" when recording repeated events.
Support a maximum size for the log file that can be controlled by the administrator. If the maximum size is reached, the admin should be notified. Also, consider reducing functionality of the product. This may result in a denial-of-service to legitimate product users, but it will prevent the product from adversely impacting the entire system.
Adjust configurations appropriately when the product is transitioned from a debug state to production.
Detection Methods
- Automated Static Analysis — Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then sea
Real-World CVE Examples
| CVE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CVE-2007-0421 | server records a large amount of data to the server log when it receives malformed headers |
| CVE-2002-1154 | chain: application does not restrict access to front-end for updates, which allows attacker to fill the error log |
Related Weaknesses
Taxonomy Mappings
- ISA/IEC 62443: Part 3-3 — Req SR 7.2
- ISA/IEC 62443: Part 4-1 — Req SD-1
- ISA/IEC 62443: Part 4-1 — Req SVV-3
- ISA/IEC 62443: Part 4-2 — Req CR 7.2
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CWE-779?
CWE-779 (Logging of Excessive Data) is a software weakness identified by MITRE's Common Weakness Enumeration. It is classified as a Base-level weakness. The product logs too much information, making log files hard to process and possibly hindering recovery efforts or forensic analysis after an attack.
How can CWE-779 be exploited?
Attackers can exploit CWE-779 (Logging of Excessive Data) to dos: resource consumption (cpu), dos: resource consumption (other). This weakness is typically introduced during the Operation phase of software development.
How do I prevent CWE-779?
Key mitigations include: Suppress large numbers of duplicate log messages and replace them with periodic summaries. For example, syslog may include an entry that states "last message repeated X times" when recording repeated
What is the severity of CWE-779?
CWE-779 is classified as a Base-level weakness (Medium abstraction). It has been observed in 2 real-world CVEs.