Description

Detects the use of unencrypted Java Socket or ServerSocket connections. These classes create network connections without built-in encryption, which could allow attackers to intercept and read sensitive data transmitted over the network. Using unencrypted sockets can expose applications to man-in-the-middle attacks and data theft.

Detection Strategy

• Check if code imports java.net.Socket or java.net.ServerSocket classes

• Look for instantiations of Socket or ServerSocket classes in the code

• Report a vulnerability when these unencrypted socket classes are used instead of their secure alternatives (like SSLSocket)

Vulnerable code example

import java.net.Socket;
import java.net.ServerSocket;
import java.io.IOException;

public class VulnerableSocketExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
        // Vulnerable: Using plaintext Socket without SSL/TLS encryption
        Socket socket = new Socket("www.example.com", 80);...

✅ Secure code example

import javax.net.ssl.SSLSocket;
import javax.net.ssl.SSLSocketFactory;
import javax.net.ssl.SSLServerSocket;
import javax.net.ssl.SSLServerSocketFactory;
import java.io.IOException;

public class SecureSocketExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {...