# Cwe 522 Insufficiently Protected Credentials

> Use this skill when you need to remediate CWE-522 (Insufficiently Protected Credentials) vulnerabilities in Java code. Triggers on SAST findings, security reviews, or when fixing insufficiently protected credentials issues.

- Skill: `developerscoffee/cwe-522-insufficiently-protected-credentials` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add developerscoffee/cwe-522-insufficiently-protected-credentials`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/developerscoffee/cwe-522-insufficiently-protected-credentials/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Security
- License: MIT
- Author: DevelopersCoffee (https://skillmd.com/u/developerscoffee)
- Updated: 2026-09-10
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/developerscoffee/cwe-522-insufficiently-protected-credentials

---


# CWE-522 Insufficiently Protected Credentials

## Description

Insufficiently Protected Credentials

Reference:
https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/522.html


**OWASP Category**: A07:2021 – Identification and Authentication Failures


---

## Vulnerable Pattern


### ❌ Example 1: Vulnerable Pattern

```java
// VULNERABLE: Storing plaintext password
user.setPassword(request.getPassword());
userRepository.save(user);
```


**Why it's vulnerable:** This pattern is vulnerable to Insufficiently Protected Credentials




---

## Deterministic Fix


### ✅ Secure Implementation: Secure Implementation

```java
// SECURE: Use BCrypt for password hashing
@Autowired
private PasswordEncoder passwordEncoder;

public void registerUser(UserRequest request) {
    User user = new User();
    user.setUsername(request.getUsername());
    user.setPassword(passwordEncoder.encode(request.getPassword()));
    userRepository.save(user);
}
```


**Why it's secure:** Implements proper protection against Insufficiently Protected Credentials




---

## Detection Pattern

Look for these patterns in your codebase:


```bash
# Find plaintext password storage
grep -rn "setPassword.*getPassword\\|password.*=.*request" --include="*.java"
```



---

## Remediation Steps


1. Use BCrypt or Argon2 for password hashing

2. Never store plaintext passwords

3. Use secure comparison for password verification

4. Implement password complexity requirements


---

## Key Imports

```java

import org.springframework.security.crypto.password.PasswordEncoder;

import org.springframework.security.crypto.bcrypt.BCryptPasswordEncoder;

```

---

## 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


---

## Trigger Examples

```
Fix CWE-522 vulnerability
Resolve Insufficiently Protected Credentials issue
Secure this Java code against insufficiently protected credentials
SAST reports CWE-522
```

---

## Common Vulnerable Locations

| Layer | Files | Patterns |
|-------|-------|----------|

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

| Service | `*Service.java` | Business logic |

| Repository | `*Repository.java` | Data access |


---

## References


- [CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/522.html)


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**Source**: Generated by [Java CWE Security Skills Generator](https://github.com/DevelopersCoffee/java-cwe-security-skills)
**Last Updated**: 2026-03-07