Fix sensitive data written to a log in Hapi

A password, token, cookie, or similar value is passed to a log sink. Centralised logs are widely readable inside an organisation and often retained for months - a credential that lands there is a credential that has left the application's control.

medium likely Hapi CWE-532 / OWASP A09:2021

The vulnerable pattern in Hapi

MEDIUM likely Sensitive data written to a log A09:2021 src/server.ts:25:20 23 │ 24 │ // sensitive-data-logged: the password reaches the process log. 25 │ console.info({ password: body.password }) │ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ sensitive value written to a log 26 │ 27 │ // sensitive-data-logged: an access token, logged the same way.

This finding comes from the Hapi fixture in the owlwarden test suite. Logs are copied into aggregators, retained for months, and readable by anyone with access to the logging system. A credential that reaches a log has left the application's trust boundary.

The corrected handler

Use request.log with a redacted payload.

request.log(['info'], { event: 'login_attempt', userId })
// never: request.log(['info'], { password: request.payload.password })

If you are not using Hapi

Log a redacted shape - an id, a boolean, a length - never the secret itself.

Check your own repository

npx owlwarden scan
npx owlwarden explain sensitive-data-logged

Runs on your machine. No account, no telemetry, no network unless you ask. In CI, SARIF uploads to code scanning and the exit code is the gate.

Other Hapi checks

Rules with a tested Hapi example.

sensitive-data-logged for every framework / All rules / owlwarden