Incorrect Privilege Assignment

Incorrect privilege assignment is a core authorization flaw where the system's security model fails to properly enforce the principle of least privilege. Instead of granting the minimum access necessary for a function, the system erroneously provides elevated rights—such as administrative capabilities, write access to sensitive files, or the ability to modify other users' data. This mistake often stems from misconfigured access control lists (ACLs), flawed role-based access control (RBAC) logic, or errors during user/role provisioning. From a developer's perspective, this vulnerability is frequently introduced during code deployment or user management, rather than within the core application logic itself. Common scenarios include copying permission sets from high-privilege accounts, incorrectly mapping users to roles, or failing to validate inherited permissions. To prevent this, always implement explicit privilege assignment, audit permission changes, and use automated tools to verify that access controls match the intended security policy before deployment.