Secure storage of confidential information
import UIKit
class ViewController: UIViewController {
let username: String = "admin"
let password: String = "password123"
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
let credentials = "\\(username):\\(password)"
let base64Credentials = Data(credentials.utf8).base64EncodedString()
print("Base64 encoded credentials: \\(base64Credentials)")
}
}
In the Swift code above, the
username and
password are hardcoded directly into the source code. These credentials are then concatenated into a single string with a colon (:) separator. This string is then encoded into Base64 format using the
base64EncodedString() method of the
Data class. The encoded credentials are then printed out to the console.
This is a vulnerability because anyone who has access to the source code can easily decode the Base64 string to reveal the original credentials. In addition, if anyone is able to intercept the console logs (e.g. if they are stored in a log file or sent over a network), they can also decode the Base64 string to get the credentials.
It is a bad practice to store sensitive information like usernames and passwords directly in the source code. It is even worse to encode them in Base64 format, as Base64 is not an encryption algorithm and can be easily decoded.
This vulnerability can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to the system that these credentials are supposed to protect. This can lead to data breaches, unauthorized actions on the system, and other security issues.
import UIKit
import Security
class ViewController: UIViewController {
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
saveCredentials(username: "admin", password: "password123")
if let loadedCredentials = loadCredentials() {
print("Loaded credentials: \\(loadedCredentials)")
}
}
func saveCredentials(username: String, password: String) {
let credentials = "\\(username):\\(password)"
let credentialsData = Data(credentials.utf8)
let query: [String: Any] = [kSecClass as String: kSecClassGenericPassword,
kSecAttrAccount as String: "userAccount",
kSecValueData as String: credentialsData]
let status = SecItemAdd(query as CFDictionary, nil)
guard status == errSecSuccess else { return }
}
func loadCredentials() -> String? {
let query: [String: Any] = [kSecClass as String: kSecClassGenericPassword,
kSecAttrAccount as String: "userAccount",
kSecReturnData as String: kCFBooleanTrue!,
kSecMatchLimit as String: kSecMatchLimitOne]
var dataTypeRef: AnyObject?
let status: OSStatus = SecItemCopyMatching(query as CFDictionary, &dataTypeRef)
if status == errSecSuccess {
if let retrievedData = dataTypeRef as? Data,
let credentials = String(data: retrievedData, encoding: .utf8) {
return credentials
}
}
return nil
}
}
The updated code now securely stores the credentials in the iOS Keychain, which is a secure storage provided by the platform. The
saveCredentials(username:password:) function is used to save the credentials to the Keychain. It first combines the username and password into a single string, then converts this string into a
Data object. This
Data object is then stored in the Keychain with the account name "userAccount".
The
loadCredentials() function is used to retrieve the credentials from the Keychain. It queries the Keychain for the data associated with the account name "userAccount". If the query is successful, it retrieves the data, converts it back into a string, and returns this string.
This approach ensures that the credentials are not stored in plain text in the source code, and are instead stored securely in the Keychain. It also ensures that the credentials are not printed to the console in plain text, further enhancing the security of the application.