CWE-368 Base Draft

Context Switching Race Condition

This vulnerability occurs when an application switches between different security contexts (like privilege levels or domains) using a series of steps that can be interrupted. An attacker can exploit…

Definition

What is CWE-368?

This vulnerability occurs when an application switches between different security contexts (like privilege levels or domains) using a series of steps that can be interrupted. An attacker can exploit the timing gap during this switch to trick the application into performing actions with the wrong permissions or resources.
This flaw is a classic race condition that targets the brief window when an application is changing states, such as moving from a trusted admin area to a public user space. Because the switch isn't performed as a single, uninterruptible operation, an attacker can inject malicious actions that get executed with the privileges of the previous, more trusted context. In practice, this is frequently seen in web browsers. For example, if a user navigates from a secure banking site to an untrusted forum, there's a moment during the page transition where scripts might still run with the origin or permissions of the banking site. An attacker could exploit this to access sensitive data or perform unauthorized actions that should have been blocked after the context change.
Auswirkungen in der Praxis

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-368

  • CVE-2009-1837

    Chain: race condition (CWE-362) from improper handling of a page transition in web client while an applet is loading (CWE-368) leads to use after free (CWE-416)

  • CVE-2004-2260

    Browser updates address bar as soon as user clicks on a link instead of when the page has loaded, allowing spoofing by redirecting to another page using onUnload method. ** this is one example of the role of "hooks" and context switches, and should be captured somehow - also a race condition of sorts **

  • CVE-2004-0191

    XSS when web browser executes Javascript events in the context of a new page while it's being loaded, allowing interaction with previous page in different domain.

  • CVE-2004-2491

    Web browser fills in address bar of clicked-on link before page has been loaded, and doesn't update afterward.

Wie Angreifer es ausnutzen

Angreiferpfad Schritt für Schritt

  1. 1

    Identifiziere einen Codepfad, der nicht vertrauenswürdige Eingaben ohne Validierung verarbeitet.

  2. 2

    Erzeuge eine Payload, die das unsichere Verhalten auslöst — Injection, Traversal, Overflow oder Logik-Missbrauch.

  3. 3

    Liefere die Payload über einen normalen Request aus und beobachte die Reaktion der Anwendung.

  4. 4

    Iteriere, bis die Antwort Daten preisgibt, Angreifer-Code ausführt oder Berechtigungen eskaliert.

Verwundbares Codebeispiel

Vulnerable pseudo

MITRE hat kein Codebeispiel für diese CWE veröffentlicht. Das untenstehende Muster ist illustrativ — kanonische Referenzen findest du unter Ressourcen.

Verwundbar pseudo 
// Example pattern — see MITRE for the canonical references.
function handleRequest(input) {
  // Untrusted input flows directly into the sensitive sink.
  return executeUnsafe(input);
}
Sicheres Codebeispiel

Secure pseudo

Sicher pseudo 
// Validate, sanitize, or use a safe API before reaching the sink.
function handleRequest(input) {
  const safe = validateAndEscape(input);
  return executeWithGuards(safe);
}
What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.
Präventions-Checkliste

How to prevent CWE-368

  • Architecture Use safe-by-default frameworks and APIs that prevent the unsafe pattern from being expressible.
  • Implementation Validate input at trust boundaries; use allowlists, not denylists.
  • Implementation Apply the principle of least privilege to credentials, file paths, and runtime permissions.
  • Testing Cover this weakness in CI: SAST rules + targeted unit tests for the data flow.
  • Operation Monitor logs for the runtime signals listed in the next section.
Erkennungssignale

How to detect CWE-368

SAST High

Führe statische Analyse (SAST) auf der Codebasis aus und suche im Datenfluss nach dem unsicheren Muster.

DAST Moderate

Führe dynamische Application-Security-Tests gegen den Live-Endpoint aus.

Runtime Moderate

Beobachte Runtime-Logs auf ungewöhnliche Exception-Traces, fehlerhafte Eingaben oder Versuche, Autorisierung zu umgehen.

Code review Moderate

Code Review: Markiere jeden neuen Code, der Eingaben von dieser Oberfläche ohne validierte Framework-Helper verarbeitet.

Plexicus Auto-Fix

Plexicus erkennt CWE-368 automatisch und öffnet in unter 60 Sekunden einen Fix-PR.

Codex Remedium scannt jeden Commit, identifiziert genau diese Schwachstelle und liefert einen reviewer-ready Pull Request mit dem Patch. Keine Tickets. Keine Hand-offs.

Demo anfordern Plexicus kostenlos testen
Häufig gestellte Fragen

Frequently asked questions

Was ist CWE-368?

This vulnerability occurs when an application switches between different security contexts (like privilege levels or domains) using a series of steps that can be interrupted. An attacker can exploit the timing gap during this switch to trick the application into performing actions with the wrong permissions or resources.

Wie gravierend ist CWE-368?

MITRE hat für diese Schwachstelle keine Exploit-Wahrscheinlichkeit veröffentlicht. Behandle sie als mittlere Auswirkung, bis dein Threat Model anderes belegt.

Welche Sprachen oder Plattformen sind von CWE-368 betroffen?

MITRE hat für diese CWE keine betroffenen Plattformen spezifiziert — sie kann in den meisten Anwendungs-Stacks auftreten.

Wie kann ich CWE-368 verhindern?

Use safe-by-default frameworks, validate untrusted input at trust boundaries, and apply the principle of least privilege. Cover the data-flow signature in CI with SAST.

Wie erkennt und behebt Plexicus CWE-368?

Die SAST-Engine von Plexicus erkennt die Datenfluss-Signatur von CWE-368 bei jedem Commit. Bei einem Treffer öffnet unser Codex-Remedium-Agent einen Fix-PR mit korrigiertem Code, Tests und einer einzeiligen Zusammenfassung für den Reviewer.

Wo erfahre ich mehr über CWE-368?

MITRE veröffentlicht die kanonische Definition unter https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/368.html. Für ergänzende Hinweise kannst du auch die OWASP- und NIST-Dokumentation heranziehen.

Verwandte Schwachstellen

Weaknesses related to CWE-368

CWE-362 Parent

Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')

A race condition occurs when multiple processes or threads access a shared resource simultaneously without proper coordination, creating a…

CWE-1223 Sibling

Race Condition for Write-Once Attributes

This vulnerability occurs when an untrusted software component wins a race condition and writes to a hardware register before the trusted…

CWE-1298 Sibling

Hardware Logic Contains Race Conditions

A hardware race condition occurs when security-critical logic circuits receive signals at slightly different times, creating temporary…

CWE-364 Sibling

Signal Handler Race Condition

A signal handler race condition occurs when a program's signal handling routine is vulnerable to timing issues, allowing its state to be…

CWE-366 Sibling

Race Condition within a Thread

This vulnerability occurs when two or more threads within the same application access and manipulate a shared resource (like a variable,…

CWE-367 Sibling

Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition

This vulnerability occurs when a program verifies a resource's state (like a file's permissions or existence) but then uses it after that…

CWE-421 Sibling

Race Condition During Access to Alternate Channel

A race condition occurs when an application opens a secondary communication channel intended for an authorized user, but fails to secure…

CWE-689 Sibling

Permission Race Condition During Resource Copy

This vulnerability occurs when a system copies a file or resource but delays setting its final permissions until the entire copy operation…

Ressourcen

Further reading

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