Because it is easy to extract strings from an application source code or binary, passwords should not be hard-coded. This is particularly true for applications that are distributed or that are open-source.
In the past, it has led to the following vulnerabilities:
Passwords should be stored outside of the code in a configuration file, a database, or a password management service.
This rule flags instances of hard-coded passwords used in database and LDAP connections. It looks for hard-coded passwords in connection strings, and for variable names that match any of the patterns from the provided list.
There would be a risk if you answered yes to any of those questions.
String username = "steve"; String password = "blue"; Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:mysql://localhost/test?" + "user=" + username + "&password=" + password); // Sensitive
String username = getEncryptedUser(); String password = getEncryptedPassword(); Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:mysql://localhost/test?" + "user=" + username + "&password=" + password);