Description

This detector identifies Java code that derives keys with PBKDF2 using an iteration count below the OWASP minimum for the chosen hash function. A low iteration count makes derived keys and password hashes cheap to brute force, since modern hardware can compute them very quickly.

Detection Strategy

• The code must import the javax.crypto package

• The detector examines generateSecret calls and resolves the SecretKeyFactory algorithm (PBKDF2WithHmacSHA1, PBKDF2WithHmacSHA256 or PBKDF2WithHmacSHA512), including algorithm names held in constants or selected between alternatives

• It resolves the PBEKeySpec passed to generateSecret, whether it is created inline or through a variable, and examines its iteration count, the third constructor argument

• A vulnerability is reported when the iteration count is a literal, or a value that resolves to one, below the minimum for the algorithm: 1,400,000 for SHA-1, 600,000 for SHA-256 and 220,000 for SHA-512

• Iteration counts received as method parameters are not reported

Vulnerable code example

import java.security.SecureRandom;
import java.security.spec.KeySpec;
import javax.crypto.SecretKeyFactory;
import javax.crypto.spec.PBEKeySpec;

class WeakIterationCount {
    static byte[] deriveKey(String secret) throws Exception {
        byte[] salt = new byte[16];...

✅ Secure code example

import java.security.SecureRandom;
import java.security.spec.KeySpec;
import javax.crypto.SecretKeyFactory;
import javax.crypto.spec.PBEKeySpec;

class StrongIterationCount {
    static byte[] deriveKey(String secret) throws Exception {
        byte[] salt = new byte[16];...