Property
Language
Severity
CWE	CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
OWASP	A03:2017 - Sensitive Data Exposure
Confidence Level	Medium
Impact Level	Medium
Likelihood Level	Medium

Description

The code is using the ARC4 (RC4) cipher for encryption, which is considered insecure due to serious weaknesses that allow attackers to break its encryption. ARC4 should not be used for protecting sensitive data.

Impact

If ARC4 is used, attackers may be able to decrypt, modify, or forge encrypted data, leading to data breaches, unauthorized access, or exposure of confidential information. This can compromise the security and integrity of your application and users’ data.

Property
Language
Severity
CWE	CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
OWASP	A6:2017 misconfiguration
Confidence Level	Medium
Impact Level	High
Likelihood Level	Medium

Description

The code is using an empty string as the AES encryption key, which means the encryption is extremely weak or ineffective. AES requires a strong, non-empty key to properly secure data.

Impact

If an empty key is used, attackers can easily decrypt sensitive data, leading to data breaches or exposure of confidential information. This could compromise user privacy, regulatory compliance, and the overall security of the application.

Property
Language
Severity
CWE	CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
OWASP	A03:2017 - Sensitive Data Exposure
Confidence Level	Medium
Impact Level	Medium
Likelihood Level	Low

Description

The code uses the SHA1 hash algorithm, which is outdated and no longer secure for cryptographic purposes. SHA1 can be broken by attackers, making it unsafe for hashing sensitive data or creating digital signatures.

Impact

If an attacker exploits weaknesses in SHA1, they could create forged data or signatures that appear valid, leading to data breaches, integrity failures, or unauthorized access. This puts sensitive information, user authentication, and the application’s reputation at risk.

Property
Language
Severity
CWE	CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
OWASP	A03:2017 - Sensitive Data Exposure
Confidence Level	Medium
Impact Level	Medium
Likelihood Level	Medium

Description

The code uses the IDEA (International Data Encryption Algorithm) cipher, which is outdated and known to be vulnerable when weak keys are used. This makes encrypted data easier to break compared to modern encryption algorithms.

Impact

Attackers could exploit weaknesses in IDEA to decrypt sensitive information, potentially leading to data breaches and exposure of confidential data. This undermines the security of the application and can result in regulatory or reputational damage.

Property
Language
Severity
CWE	CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
OWASP	A03:2017 - Sensitive Data Exposure
Confidence Level	Medium
Impact Level	Low
Likelihood Level	Low

Description

The code uses ECB (Electronic Codebook) mode for block cipher encryption, which always produces the same encrypted output for identical input blocks. This exposes patterns in the original data, making it easier for attackers to analyze and potentially reveal sensitive information.

Property
Language
Severity
CWE	CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
OWASP	A02:2021 – Cryptographic Failures
Confidence Level	High
Impact Level	High
Likelihood Level	Low

Description

Using Django’s SECRET_KEY as the salt in Hashids exposes the secret key because Hashids is not cryptographically secure. If attackers can observe enough generated Hashids, they may be able to recover the SECRET_KEY.

Impact

If the SECRET_KEY is exposed, attackers can compromise Django’s core security features, such as session management, CSRF protection, and password resets. This could lead to full application takeover, data breaches, or unauthorized actions within the system.

Property
Language
Severity
CWE	CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
OWASP	A03:2017 - Sensitive Data Exposure
Confidence Level	Medium
Impact Level	Medium
Likelihood Level	Low

Description

An encryption mode of operation is being used without proper message authentication. This can potentially result in the encrypted content to be decrypted by an attacker. Consider instead use an AEAD mode of operation like GCM.

Property
Language
Severity
CWE	CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
OWASP	A03:2017 - Sensitive Data Exposure
Confidence Level	Medium
Impact Level	Medium
Likelihood Level	Low

Description

The code uses the SHA1 hashing algorithm, which is no longer considered secure due to its vulnerability to collisions. Instead, use a stronger hash like SHA256 or SHA3 for cryptographic operations.

Impact

If SHA1 is used, attackers could exploit its weaknesses to create different inputs that produce the same hash, potentially forging digital signatures or compromising data integrity. This can lead to unauthorized data modification, fraud, or bypassing authentication mechanisms.

Property
Language
Severity
CWE	CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
OWASP	A03:2017 - Sensitive Data Exposure
Confidence Level	High
Impact Level	Medium
Likelihood Level	Low

Description

The code uses the Blowfish cipher algorithm, which is outdated and no longer considered secure for protecting sensitive data. Attackers can potentially break this encryption with modern techniques.

Impact

If an attacker intercepts data encrypted with Blowfish, they may be able to decrypt and access confidential information such as passwords or personal data. This can lead to data breaches, regulatory violations, and loss of user trust.

Property
Language
Severity
CWE	CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
OWASP	A03:2017 - Sensitive Data Exposure
Confidence Level	High
Impact Level	Medium
Likelihood Level	Low

Description

The code uses the MD2 hash algorithm, which is outdated and no longer secure due to known weaknesses. MD2 is vulnerable to collisions, making it unsafe for hashing sensitive data or verifying integrity.

Impact

Attackers could exploit MD2’s weaknesses to forge data or signatures, potentially leading to unauthorized access, data tampering, or exposure of sensitive information. This puts both application security and user data at risk.