CWE · MITRE source
CWE-316Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Memory
The product stores sensitive information in cleartext in memory.
The sensitive memory might be saved to disk, stored in a core dump, or remain uncleared if the product crashes, or if the programmer does not properly clear the memory before freeing it. It could be argued that such problems are usually only exploitable by those with administrator privileges. However, swapping could cause the memory to be written to disk and leave it accessible to physical attack afterwards. Core dump files might have insecure permissions or be stored in archive files that are accessible to untrusted people. Or, uncleared sensitive memory might be inadvertently exposed to attackers due to another weakness.
Last updated: 21 August 2026 20:21 UTC
Cumulative inbound coverage
How completely the frameworks we cross-walk collectively cover this — the verdict is the strongest single mapping (overlapping partials are not summed); breadth shows the corroboration behind it.
Collective: partial · 1 mapping(s) from 1 framework(s): STIG oracle linux 9 1 (partial)
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
This weakness contributes to A06:2025 Insecure Design.
Control responseHuman-reviewed
Answering this weakness across the control lifecycle, from our framework cross-walks.
NIST 800-53 r5 controls that address this weakness (0)AI-assisted
| Control | Title | Family | Why it addresses this CWE |
|---|---|---|---|
| No NIST controls proposed yet. | |||
Top CVEs of this weakness type, ranked by Risk Priority
| CVE | Risk | CVSS | EPSS | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
CVE-2025-52579 UPD | 7.0 | 9.4 | 0.0039 | 2025-07-11 |
CVE-2024-36792 UPD | 6.1 | 8.2 | 0.0029 | 2024-06-07 |
CVE-2023-44153 UPD | 5.7 | 7.5 | 0.0029 | 2023-09-27 |
CVE-2022-0835 UPD | 5.6 | 8.1 | 0.0017 | 2022-04-11 |
CVE-2025-50109 UPD | 5.6 | 7.7 | 0.0012 | 2025-07-11 |
CVE-2014-2366 UPD | 5.4 | 0.0 | 0.0131 | 2014-07-19 |
CVE-2023-40724 UPD | 5.3 | 7.3 | 0.0012 | 2023-09-12 |
CVE-2024-33901 UPD | 5.2 | 6.5 | 0.0070 | 2024-05-20 |
CVE-2025-9970 UPD | 5.0 | 7.4 | 0.0009 | 2025-10-08 |
CVE-2025-60794 UPD | 5.0 | 6.5 | 0.0021 | 2025-11-20 |
CVE-2021-32942 UPD | 4.9 | 6.6 | 0.0018 | 2021-06-09 |
CVE-2024-33900 UPD | 4.9 | 6.5 | 0.0034 | 2024-05-20 |
CVE-2024-25649 UPD | 4.6 | 6.7 | 0.0008 | 2024-03-14 |
CVE-2021-23182 UPD | 4.5 | 6.0 | 0.0017 | 2021-06-11 |
CVE-2024-24915 UPD | 4.5 | 6.1 | 0.0018 | 2025-06-29 |
CVE-2025-60791 UPD | 4.5 | 6.2 | 0.0010 | 2025-10-27 |
CVE-2021-23211 UPD | 4.4 | 6.0 | 0.0011 | 2021-06-11 |
CVE-2021-31989 UPD | 4.2 | 5.3 | 0.0040 | 2021-08-25 |
CVE-2026-24319 UPD | 4.2 | 5.8 | 0.0009 | 2026-02-10 |
CVE-2026-0857 UPD | 4.2 | 6.0 | 0.0010 | 2026-05-20 |
CVE-2019-3733 UPD | 4.1 | 4.9 | 0.0060 | 2019-09-30 |
CVE-2022-33918 UPD | 4.1 | 5.5 | 0.0013 | 2022-10-12 |
CVE-2026-8636 | 4.1 | 5.5 | 0.0015 | 2026-06-22 |
CVE-2025-42888 UPD | 3.9 | 5.5 | 0.0011 | 2025-11-11 |
CVE-2023-3762 UPD | 3.7 | 4.3 | 0.0041 | 2023-07-19 |