DEPRECATED: Failure to Protect Stored Data from Modification
This entry has been deprecated. The security issues it described—specifically around failing to protect stored data from unauthorized changes—are now more precisely covered by CWE-766 (Critical Data Element Declared Public) and CWE-767 (Access to Critical Private Field via Unsafe Reflection).
This CWE entry was retired because it combined several distinct security problems under one vague category, making it difficult for developers to identify and fix specific vulnerabilities. The core concern—data being altered by unauthorized users or processes—is now addressed by more targeted weaknesses that describe exact failure points in code structure and access controls. For modern application security, focus on CWE-766, which deals with accidentally exposing sensitive data through public declarations, and CWE-767, which covers how reflection APIs can be misused to bypass private field protections. Reviewing these specific entries will give you clearer guidance for implementing proper data encapsulation and validation in your systems.