HARDCODED.KEY : Hardcoded Crypto Key

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CodeSonar^® 9.2p0

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CodeSecure Inc

C and C++

Binaries

HARDCODED.KEY : Hardcoded Crypto Key

Summary

A function that should have a cryptographic key passed in a particular argument position has been passed a hardcoded value.

Properties

Class Name

Hardcoded Crypto Key

Significance

security

Mnemonic

HARDCODED.KEY

Categories

CWE	CWE:318	Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Executable
	CWE:321	Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key
	CWE:540	Inclusion of Sensitive Information in Source Code
	CWE:547	Use of Hard-coded, Security-relevant Constants
	CWE:798	Use of Hard-coded Credentials
CERT-C	CERT-C:MSC18-C	Be careful while handling sensitive data, such as passwords, in program code
	CERT-C:MSC41-C	Never hard code sensitive information
OWASP-2017	OWASP-2017:A5	Broken access control
	OWASP-2017:A6	Security misconfiguration
OWASP-2021	OWASP-2021:A1	Broken access control
	OWASP-2021:A2	Cryptographic failures
	OWASP-2021:A4	Insecure design
	OWASP-2021:A5	Security misconfiguration
	OWASP-2021:A7	Identification and authorization failures
OWASP-2025	OWASP-2025:A01	Broken Access Control
	OWASP-2025:A02	Security Misconfiguration
	OWASP-2025:A04	Cryptographic Failures
	OWASP-2025:A06	Insecure Design

Availability

Available for C and C++.

Enabling

Checks for this warning class are enabled by default. To disable them, add the following WARNING_FILTER rule to the project configuration file.

WARNING_FILTER += discard class="Hardcoded Crypto Key"

Example

#include <crypt.h>

void hardcoded_key(const char *p, const char *q){
    crypt("password", q); /* 'Hardcoded Crypto Key' warning issued here
                           * ('Use of crypt' warning also issued)
                           */
    crypt(p, q);                       /* ok: not hardcoded */
                          /* ('Use of crypt' warning issued here) */
}

Notes

This class is defined using HARDCODED_ARGS_* rules in the general template configuration file, and covers many common procedures that take cryptographic key parameters. For a full list, see the "Factory Settings" in the documentation for HARDCODED_ARGS_*.

To include an additional function or set of functions in the checks for this class, create a new set of HARDCODED_ARGS_* rules, where:
- HARDCODED_ARGS_REGEX matches the function or set of functions you want to check.
- HARDCODED_ARGS_LIST identifies the parameter position (or positions) that contains an cryptographic key value that should not be hardcoded.
- HARDCODED_ARGS_CLASS_NAME = Hardcoded Crypto Key
- HARDCODED_ARGS_CATEGORIES and HARDCODED_ARGS_BASE_RANK have the same settings as in the existing Hardcoded Crypto Key rules.
To remove a function or set of functions from the checks for this class, edit the configuration file to comment out the corresponding set of HARDCODED_ARGS_* rules.

Relevant Configuration File Parameters

This class is implemented using a HARDCODED_ARGS_* rule set in the general template configuration file.

The following configuration file parameters affect checks for this warning class.

To report problems with this documentation, please visit https://support.codesecure.com/.