UNENCRYPTED TRANSMISSION OF SENSITIVE USER DATA

This is one of the critical vulnerabilities that can expose users to data breaches and fraud is the sending of sensitive information, such as credit card details, passwords or personal identification to a payment gateway in an unencrypted format — i.e., in plain text.




VULNERABLITY

When you send sensitive info like credit card numbers, usernames or passwords online, it often goes through HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). Without encryption, this data is sent as plain text, so it's not protected. Plain text refers to data that is readable by anyone who intercepts it. In the context of online payments, sending information in plain text exposes this sensitive data to anyone with access to the transmission path, such as hackers, malicious third parties or even unauthorized individuals within the network. If payment information is sent in plain text, it can be intercepted, captured and exploited by malicious actors.

IMPACT

The absence of secure transmission protocols like HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a common reason why data is sent in plain text. The implications of sending sensitive information in plain text are significant:
Navigating the Web Application Security Landscape

Data Interception and Theft:

Unencrypted data can be intercepted by attackers using techniques such as man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, enabling them to access user credentials, payment details and other confidential information.

Regulatory Penalties:

Failing to encrypt user data may lead to violations of data protection regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), resulting in fines and legal consequences.

Financial Loss and Fraud:

Sensitive payment data compromised through such a vulnerability can be used for unauthorized transactions, leading to financial loss for both consumers and businesses.

SOLUTION

The vulnerability of sending sensitive information in an unencrypted format can be mitigated by following well-defined security steps:

1. Enforce HTTPS for All Transactions

Ensure any third-party payment processors or services you use also support HTTPS and strong encryption. Make sure your website supports and enforces HTTPS for every page, especially those that handle payments. Many modern browsers now flag HTTP pages as insecure, which could deter customers from completing their transactions.

2. Obtain a Valid SSL/TLS Certificate

Purchase an SSL/TLS certificate from a trusted certificate authority (CA), install it on your server, and configure it to handle secure connections. Regularly check and renew certificates to ensure they do not expire.

3. Use Strong Encryption Protocols

Configure your server to support only strong encryption protocols, such as TLS 1.2 or TLS 1.3. Disable outdated protocols like SSLv3, TLS 1.0, and TLS 1.1 to prevent attackers from exploiting these weaknesses. Confirm that all APIs and webhooks connected to your system use encrypted protocols.

4. Encrypt Sensitive Data Before Transmission

Use end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for sensitive data before it leaves the client-side (browser) and ensure it remains encrypted until it reaches the payment gateway or backend server. This ensures that data remains protected throughout the transaction process. Make sure any data storage solution which is encrypted both at rest and in transit.

5. Use Tokenization or Payment Tokens

Instead of sending sensitive payment data such as credit card numbers directly to the payment gateway, use tokenization. This process replaces sensitive information with a unique identifier (token) that is meaningless outside of the secure environment of the payment processor. Work with your payment processor to implement tokenization, ensuring that sensitive payment information is replaced with non-sensitive tokens that can be securely handled.

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Radhika Lad

Cyber Security Analyst

Location: Pune, India

Radhika is a web and network Pentester and ethusiast in cyber security domain. Her primary focus is on Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration testing of corporate networks, firewalls, web and cloud apps, mobile apps. Coming from finance and education background, she has a passion to get into the world of IoT and OT Cyber security. She is always on the path of learning and trying new things in the domain she likes.