# Leakage of sensitive information in logger message

## Overview

* **Rule ID**: `java_lang_logger`
* **Applicable Languages**: Java
* **Weakness ID**: CWE-532

## Description

The exposure of sensitive information in logger messages can jeopardize user privacy and security. This vulnerability arises when confidential data, such as personally identifiable information (PII), is included in log messages, potentially granting unauthorized access to this information.

## Remediation Guidelines

* Avoid including sensitive data in logger messages to prevent unintentional exposure of personal or confidential information.

  ```java
  logger.info(user.email) // unsafe

  ```
* Instead, use non-sensitive, unique identifiers like UUIDs to reference users or entities in log messages. This approach preserves privacy while ensuring effective logging.

  ```java
  logger.info(user.uuid)

  ```
* Also, log static messages that do not contain dynamic variables or attributes to minimize the risk of inadvertently logging sensitive information.

  ```java
  logger.info("user signed in")
  ```

## References

* [**OWASP Logging Cheat Sheet**](https://cheatsheetseries.owasp.org/cheatsheets/Logging_Cheat_Sheet.html)
* [**CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File**](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/532.html)
* [**OWASP Top 10: A09:2021 - Security Logging and Monitoring Failures**](https://owasp.org/Top10/A09_2021-Security_Logging_and_Monitoring_Failures/)

## Configuration

To omit this rule during a scan, and to provide you with continuous 24/7 code-level scanning, you can employ our [**SAST TOOL**](https://scopy.sec1.io/login)


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.sec1.io/user-docs/4-sast/2-java/leakage-of-sensitive-information-in-logger-message.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
