require-secure-deletion

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Keywords: require-secure-deletion, secure wipe, memory cleanup, data destruction, property deletion, security, ESLint rule, CWE-459 CWE: CWE-459: Incomplete Cleanup
OWASP Mobile: OWASP Mobile Top 10 M9: Insecure Data Storage

CWE: CWE-459

ESLint Rule: require-secure-deletion. This rule is part of eslint-plugin-node-security.

Quick Summary

Aspect	Details
Severity	Medium (Incomplete Cleanup)
Auto-Fix	❌ No (requires custom wipe logic)
Category	Security
ESLint MCP	✅ Optimized for ESLint MCP integration
Best For	Applications handling PII or secrets

Vulnerability and Risk

Vulnerability: Incomplete cleanup occurs when sensitive information is removed from an object or variable but remains in memory or is not properly cleared before being reused or released.

Risk: Attackers with local memory access or via side-channel attacks can potentially recover sensitive data that was not securely "wiped". In JavaScript, the delete operator only removes a property reference, but does not overwrite the actual memory content.

Error Message Format

The rule provides LLM-optimized error messages (Compact 2-line format) with actionable security guidance:

🔒 CWE-459 OWASP:M9 | Insecure Deletion detected | MEDIUM [DataCleanup]
   Fix: Review deletion pattern; ensure sensitive data is wiped or overwritten | https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/459.html

Message Components

Component	Purpose	Example
Risk Standards	Security benchmarks	CWE-459 OWASP:M9
Issue Description	Specific vulnerability	`Insecure Deletion detected`
Severity & Compliance	Impact assessment	`MEDIUM [DataCleanup]`
Fix Instruction	Actionable remediation	`Review deletion pattern; ensure sensitive data is wiped`
Technical Truth	Official reference	Incomplete Cleanup

Rule Details

This rule flags the use of the delete operator on objects. While property deletion is common, it is often a sign of insecure data handling when sensitive information (like passwords, keys, or PII) is involved.

Why This Matters

Issue	Impact	Solution
🕵️ Data Leakage	Sensitive info remains in memory	Overwrite Buffers with zeros using `buf.fill(0)`
🚀 Reconstruction	Deleted info can be recovered	Ensure objects are fully dereferenced and garbage collected
🔒 Compliance	Failure to meet data erasure standards	Implement formal "Secure Erase" patterns for sensitive data

Configuration

This rule has no configuration options in the current version.

Examples

❌ Incorrect

// Simply deleting a sensitive property
const user = { username: 'john', password: 'secret_password_123' };
delete user.password; // ❌ Reference removed, but data remains in memory

✅ Correct

// Securely wiping a Buffer containing sensitive data
const sensitiveBuffer = Buffer.from('secret_key');
// ... use buffer ...
sensitiveBuffer.fill(0); // ✅ Clear memory explicitly

Known False Negatives

The following patterns are not detected due to static analysis limitations:

Values from Variables

Why: Values stored in variables are not traced.

// ❌ NOT DETECTED
const key = 'password';
delete user[key];

Mitigation: Review all dynamic property access involving sensitive objects.

Garbage Collection Reliance

Why: This rule cannot detect if a developer is correctly relying on garbage collection for non-sensitive data.

Mitigation: Differentiate between "cleanup" for memory management and "secure wipe" for security.