CWE-267 Base Incomplet

Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions

This vulnerability occurs when a system grants a user, role, or process a specific permission that can be misused to perform dangerous, unintended actions. The permission itself is correctly…

Définition

What is CWE-267?

This vulnerability occurs when a system grants a user, role, or process a specific permission that can be misused to perform dangerous, unintended actions. The permission itself is correctly assigned, but its scope is too broad or allows for unsafe operations.
At its core, this weakness is about over-privilege. A system might correctly identify that a user needs to edit files, but if the associated 'edit' permission also allows them to overwrite critical system files or execute code, the privilege is dangerously defined. Developers often make this mistake by using coarse-grained permissions that bundle safe and unsafe actions together, or by not considering all the destructive ways a seemingly benign right could be exploited. To prevent this, implement the principle of least privilege by defining permissions based on specific, safe actions rather than broad capabilities. Audit your authorization logic to ensure each granted right cannot be chained or used in an unexpected context to cause harm. Security testing should explicitly check if assigned privileges can be leveraged to bypass security controls or perform actions outside the user's intended role.
Impact réel

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-267

  • CVE-2002-1981

    Roles have access to dangerous procedures (Accessible entities).

  • CVE-2002-1671

    Untrusted object/method gets access to clipboard (Accessible entities).

  • CVE-2004-2204

    Gain privileges using functions/tags that should be restricted (Accessible entities).

  • CVE-2000-0315

    Traceroute program allows unprivileged users to modify source address of packet (Accessible entities).

  • CVE-2004-0380

    Bypass domain restrictions using a particular file that references unsafe URI schemes (Accessible entities).

  • CVE-2002-1154

    Script does not restrict access to an update command, leading to resultant disk consumption and filled error logs (Accessible entities).

  • CVE-2002-1145

    "public" database user can use stored procedure to modify data controlled by the database owner (Unsafe privileged actions).

  • CVE-2000-0506

    User with capability can prevent setuid program from dropping privileges (Unsafe privileged actions).

Comment les attaquants l'exploitent

Parcours de l'attaquant étape par étape

  1. 1

    Identifier un chemin de code qui traite des entrées non fiables sans validation.

  2. 2

    Élaborer une charge utile qui exploite le comportement non sécurisé — injection, traversal, débordement ou abus de logique.

  3. 3

    Délivrer la charge utile via une requête normale et observer la réaction de l'application.

  4. 4

    Itérer jusqu'à ce que la réponse divulgue des données, exécute le code de l'attaquant ou élève les privilèges.

Exemple de code vulnérable

Vulnerable Java

This code intends to allow only Administrators to print debug information about a system.

Vulnérable Java 
public enum Roles {
  	ADMIN,USER,GUEST
  }
  public void printDebugInfo(User requestingUser){
  		if(isAuthenticated(requestingUser)){
  				switch(requestingUser.role){
  						case GUEST:
  							System.out.println("You are not authorized to perform this command");
  							break;
  						default:
  							System.out.println(currentDebugState());
  							break;
  				}
  		}
  		else{
  			System.out.println("You must be logged in to perform this command");
  		}
  }
Exemple de code sécurisé

Secure pseudo

Sécurisé 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.
Liste de contrôle de prévention

How to prevent CWE-267

  • Architecture and Design / Operation Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
  • Architecture and Design / Operation Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks [REF-76]. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.
Signaux de détection

How to detect CWE-267

SAST High

Exécuter une analyse statique (SAST) sur le code source à la recherche du motif non sécurisé dans le flux de données.

DAST Moderate

Exécuter des tests de sécurité applicative dynamique (DAST) contre le point de terminaison en ligne.

Runtime Moderate

Surveiller les journaux runtime pour détecter des traces d'exception inhabituelles, des entrées malformées ou des tentatives de contournement d'autorisation.

Code review Moderate

Revue de code : signaler tout nouveau code qui traite les entrées de cette surface sans utiliser les helpers du framework validés.

Correction automatique Plexicus

Plexicus détecte automatiquement CWE-267 et ouvre une PR de correction en moins de 60 secondes.

Codex Remedium analyse chaque commit, identifie cette faiblesse précise et livre une pull request prête à être relue avec le correctif. Pas de tickets. Pas de transferts.

Obtenir une démo Essayer Plexicus gratuitement
Questions fréquentes

Frequently asked questions

Qu'est-ce que CWE-267 ?

This vulnerability occurs when a system grants a user, role, or process a specific permission that can be misused to perform dangerous, unintended actions. The permission itself is correctly assigned, but its scope is too broad or allows for unsafe operations.

Quelle est la gravité de CWE-267 ?

MITRE n'a pas publié de note de probabilité d'exploitation pour cette faiblesse. Traitez-la comme un impact moyen jusqu'à ce que votre modèle de menace prouve le contraire.

Quels langages ou plateformes sont affectés par CWE-267 ?

MITRE n'a pas spécifié les plateformes affectées pour ce CWE — il peut s'appliquer à la plupart des stacks applicatives.

Comment puis-je prévenir CWE-267 ?

Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software. Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks [REF-76]. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need…

Comment Plexicus détecte et corrige CWE-267 ?

Le moteur SAST de Plexicus reconnaît la signature de flux de données de CWE-267 à chaque commit. Lorsqu'une correspondance est trouvée, notre agent Codex Remedium ouvre une PR de correction avec le code corrigé, les tests et un résumé d'une ligne pour le relecteur.

Où puis-je en savoir plus sur CWE-267 ?

MITRE publie la définition canonique à https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/267.html. Vous pouvez également consulter la documentation OWASP et NIST pour des conseils adjacents.

Faiblesses associées

Weaknesses related to CWE-267

CWE-269 Parent

Improper Privilege Management

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to correctly manage user permissions, allowing someone to perform actions or access…

CWE-250 Frère

Execution with Unnecessary Privileges

This vulnerability occurs when software runs with higher permissions than it actually needs to perform its tasks. This excessive privilege…

CWE-266 Frère

Incorrect Privilege Assignment

This vulnerability occurs when a system mistakenly grants a user, process, or entity a specific permission or privilege they should not…

CWE-268 Frère

Privilege Chaining

Privilege chaining occurs when an attacker combines two separate permissions or capabilities, neither of which is dangerous on its own, to…

CWE-270 Frère

Privilege Context Switching Error

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly manage user permissions while moving between different security contexts,…

CWE-271 Frère

Privilege Dropping / Lowering Errors

This vulnerability occurs when a system or process fails to reduce its elevated permissions before transferring control of a resource to a…

CWE-274 Frère

Improper Handling of Insufficient Privileges

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly manage situations where it lacks the necessary permissions to execute an…

CWE-648 Frère

Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs

This vulnerability occurs when software incorrectly uses functions that require special permissions. Attackers can exploit these mistakes…

CWE-623 Enfant

Unsafe ActiveX Control Marked Safe For Scripting

This vulnerability occurs when an ActiveX control designed for limited use is incorrectly flagged as safe for scripting, allowing web…

Ressources

Further reading

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