CWE-285 Clase Borrador High likelihood

Improper Authorization

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly verify whether a user has permission to access specific data or perform certain actions before allowing the request.

Definición

What is CWE-285?

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly verify whether a user has permission to access specific data or perform certain actions before allowing the request.
Authorization is the security gatekeeper that decides what an authenticated user is allowed to do. It checks a user's privileges against defined permissions before granting access to resources like files, database records, or administrative functions. When this check is missing, inconsistent, or flawed, the gate is left open. Failing to enforce proper authorization can have severe consequences. Attackers or regular users may exploit this weakness to view sensitive data they shouldn't see, modify or delete critical information, disrupt services for others, or even execute unauthorized commands. This makes improper authorization a root cause for data breaches, system compromise, and privilege escalation attacks.
Impacto en el mundo real

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-285

  • CVE-2022-24730

    Go-based continuous deployment product does not check that a user has certain privileges to update or create an app, allowing adversaries to read sensitive repository information

  • CVE-2009-3168

    Web application does not restrict access to admin scripts, allowing authenticated users to reset administrative passwords.

  • CVE-2009-2960

    Web application does not restrict access to admin scripts, allowing authenticated users to modify passwords of other users.

  • CVE-2009-3597

    Web application stores database file under the web root with insufficient access control (CWE-219), allowing direct request.

  • CVE-2009-2282

    Terminal server does not check authorization for guest access.

  • CVE-2009-3230

    Database server does not use appropriate privileges for certain sensitive operations.

  • CVE-2009-2213

    Gateway uses default "Allow" configuration for its authorization settings.

  • CVE-2009-0034

    Chain: product does not properly interpret a configuration option for a system group, allowing users to gain privileges.

Cómo lo explotan los atacantes

Ruta del atacante paso a paso

  1. 1

    This function runs an arbitrary SQL query on a given database, returning the result of the query.

  2. 2

    While this code is careful to avoid SQL Injection, the function does not confirm the user sending the query is authorized to do so. An attacker may be able to obtain sensitive employee information from the database.

  3. 3

    The following program could be part of a bulletin board system that allows users to send private messages to each other. This program intends to authenticate the user before deciding whether a private message should be displayed. Assume that LookupMessageObject() ensures that the $id argument is numeric, constructs a filename based on that id, and reads the message details from that file. Also assume that the program stores all private messages for all users in the same directory.

  4. 4

    While the program properly exits if authentication fails, it does not ensure that the message is addressed to the user. As a result, an authenticated attacker could provide any arbitrary identifier and read private messages that were intended for other users.

  5. 5

    One way to avoid this problem would be to ensure that the "to" field in the message object matches the username of the authenticated user.

Ejemplo de código vulnerable

Vulnerable PHP

This function runs an arbitrary SQL query on a given database, returning the result of the query.

Vulnerable PHP 
function runEmployeeQuery($dbName, $name){
  	mysql_select_db($dbName,$globalDbHandle) or die("Could not open Database".$dbName);
```
//Use a prepared statement to avoid CWE-89* 
  	$preparedStatement = $globalDbHandle->prepare('SELECT * FROM employees WHERE name = :name');
  	$preparedStatement->execute(array(':name' => $name));
  	return $preparedStatement->fetchAll();}
  
   */.../* 
  
  $employeeRecord = runEmployeeQuery('EmployeeDB',$_GET['EmployeeName']);
Ejemplo de código seguro

Secure pseudo

Seguro 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.
Lista de prevención

How to prevent CWE-285

  • Architecture and Design Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries. Note that this approach may not protect against horizontal authorization, i.e., it will not protect a user from attacking others with the same role.
  • Architecture and Design Ensure that you perform access control checks related to your business logic. These checks may be different than the access control checks that you apply to more generic resources such as files, connections, processes, memory, and database records. For example, a database may restrict access for medical records to a specific database user, but each record might only be intended to be accessible to the patient and the patient's doctor.
  • Architecture and Design Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, consider using authorization frameworks such as the JAAS Authorization Framework [REF-233] and the OWASP ESAPI Access Control feature [REF-45].
  • Architecture and Design For web applications, make sure that the access control mechanism is enforced correctly at the server side on every page. Users should not be able to access any unauthorized functionality or information by simply requesting direct access to that page. One way to do this is to ensure that all pages containing sensitive information are not cached, and that all such pages restrict access to requests that are accompanied by an active and authenticated session token associated with a user who has the required permissions to access that page.
  • System Configuration / Installation Use the access control capabilities of your operating system and server environment and define your access control lists accordingly. Use a "default deny" policy when defining these ACLs.
Señales de detección

How to detect CWE-285

Automated Static Analysis Limited

Automated static analysis is useful for detecting commonly-used idioms for authorization. A tool may be able to analyze related configuration files, such as .htaccess in Apache web servers, or detect the usage of commonly-used authorization libraries. Generally, automated static analysis tools have difficulty detecting custom authorization schemes. In addition, the software's design may include some functionality that is accessible to any user and does not require an authorization check; an automated technique that detects the absence of authorization may report false positives.

Automated Dynamic Analysis

Automated dynamic analysis may find many or all possible interfaces that do not require authorization, but manual analysis is required to determine if the lack of authorization violates business logic

Manual Analysis Moderate

This weakness can be detected using tools and techniques that require manual (human) analysis, such as penetration testing, threat modeling, and interactive tools that allow the tester to record and modify an active session. Specifically, manual static analysis is useful for evaluating the correctness of custom authorization mechanisms.

Manual Static Analysis - Binary or Bytecode SOAR Partial

According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: ``` Cost effective for partial coverage: ``` Binary / Bytecode disassembler - then use manual analysis for vulnerabilities & anomalies

Dynamic Analysis with Automated Results Interpretation SOAR Partial

According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: ``` Cost effective for partial coverage: ``` Web Application Scanner Web Services Scanner Database Scanners

Dynamic Analysis with Manual Results Interpretation SOAR Partial

According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: ``` Cost effective for partial coverage: ``` Host Application Interface Scanner Fuzz Tester Framework-based Fuzzer Forced Path Execution Monitored Virtual Environment - run potentially malicious code in sandbox / wrapper / virtual machine, see if it does anything suspicious

Auto-corrección de Plexicus

Plexicus detecta automáticamente CWE-285 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-285?

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly verify whether a user has permission to access specific data or perform certain actions before allowing the request.

¿Qué gravedad tiene CWE-285?

MITRE califica la probabilidad de explotación como Alta — esta debilidad se explota activamente en la práctica y debe priorizarse para su remediación.

¿Qué lenguajes o plataformas se ven afectados por CWE-285?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: Web Server, Database Server.

¿Cómo puedo prevenir CWE-285?

Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries. Note that this approach may not protect against horizontal authorization, i.e., it will not protect a user from attacking others with the same role. Ensure that you perform access control checks related to your business logic. These checks may be…

¿Cómo detecta y corrige Plexicus CWE-285?

El motor SAST de Plexicus detecta la firma de flujo de datos para CWE-285 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-285?

MITRE publica la definición canónica en https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/285.html. También puedes consultar la documentación de OWASP y NIST para guías relacionadas.

Debilidades relacionadas

Weaknesses related to CWE-285

CWE-284 Padre

Improper Access Control

The software fails to properly limit who can access a resource, allowing unauthorized users or systems to interact with it.

CWE-1191 Hermano

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CWE-1220 Hermano

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CWE-1224 Hermano

Improper Restriction of Write-Once Bit Fields

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CWE-1233 Hermano

Security-Sensitive Hardware Controls with Missing Lock Bit Protection

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CWE-1252 Hermano

CPU Hardware Not Configured to Support Exclusivity of Write and Execute Operations

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CWE-1257 Hermano

Improper Access Control Applied to Mirrored or Aliased Memory Regions

This vulnerability occurs when a hardware design maps the same physical memory to multiple addresses (aliasing or mirroring) but fails to…

CWE-1259 Hermano

Improper Restriction of Security Token Assignment

This vulnerability occurs when a System-on-a-Chip (SoC) fails to properly secure its Security Token mechanism. These tokens control which…

Recursos

Further reading

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