VNX-209 – Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information

Overview

VNX-209 maps to CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information. Detects source patterns associated with CWE-209 (Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information). Each finding should be manually reviewed for exploitability in context.

Severity: Medium | CWE: CWE-209 | Languages: java, node, python

Why This Matters

This weakness class (Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information) creates a concrete exploit surface: the rule searches for the concrete source-level patterns most commonly associated with CWE-209 and surfaces them for review. Each finding should be evaluated in context — the rule catches the pattern, not the context.

What Gets Flagged

// FLAGGED: contains 'traceback.print_exc(' pattern
traceback.print_exc(

// FLAGGED: contains 'response' pattern
response

// FLAGGED: contains 'err.stack' pattern
err.stack

Remediation

  1. Review each flagged line and determine whether the pattern represents a real instance of CWE-209 or a false positive.
  2. Replace the flagged construct with a documented safe alternative appropriate to your language and framework.
  3. For confirmed false positives, add a # vulnetix-ignore: VNX-209 comment on the line.
  4. Ensure equivalent test coverage exists to prevent regression.

References