CWE-655 Classe Brouillon

Insufficient Psychological Acceptability

This weakness occurs when security features are so cumbersome or confusing that well-intentioned users feel forced to turn them off or find workarounds, defeating their purpose entirely.

Définition

What is CWE-655?

This weakness occurs when security features are so cumbersome or confusing that well-intentioned users feel forced to turn them off or find workarounds, defeating their purpose entirely.
At its core, this is a design failure that prioritizes theoretical security over real-world usability. When features like complex password rules, frequent re-authentication prompts, or convoluted privacy settings create significant friction, users will naturally seek the path of least resistance. This often means disabling the protection altogether, using weak passwords to meet requirements, or sharing credentials to avoid login hassles—actions that introduce far greater risk than the feature was meant to prevent. To avoid this, security must be baked into the user experience, not bolted on as an obstacle. Developers should design controls that are intuitive, context-aware, and minimally invasive. For example, offering biometric authentication alongside passwords, using risk-based authentication to reduce unnecessary prompts, or providing clear, immediate value for security actions. The goal is to make the secure choice the easiest and most obvious one, aligning security objectives with natural user behavior rather than fighting against it.
Impact réel

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-655

Aucune référence CVE publique n'est liée à ce CWE dans le catalogue MITRE pour le moment.

Comment les attaquants l'exploitent

Parcours de l'attaquant étape par étape

  1. 1

    In "Usability of Security: A Case Study" [REF-540], the authors consider human factors in a cryptography product. Some of the weakness relevant discoveries of this case study were: users accidentally leaked sensitive information, could not figure out how to perform some tasks, thought they were enabling a security option when they were not, and made improper trust decisions.

  2. 2

    Enforcing complex and difficult-to-remember passwords that need to be frequently changed for access to trivial resources, e.g., to use a black-and-white printer. Complex password requirements can also cause users to store the passwords in an unsafe manner so they don't have to remember them, such as using a sticky note or saving them in an unencrypted file.

  3. 3

    Some CAPTCHA utilities produce images that are too difficult for a human to read, causing user frustration.

Exemple de code vulnérable

Vulnerable pseudo

MITRE n'a pas publié d'exemple de code pour ce CWE. Le motif ci-dessous est illustratif — voir Ressources pour les références canoniques.

Vulnérable pseudo 
// Example pattern — see MITRE for the canonical references.
function handleRequest(input) {
  // Untrusted input flows directly into the sensitive sink.
  return executeUnsafe(input);
}
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-655

  • Testing Where possible, perform human factors and usability studies to identify where your product's security mechanisms are difficult to use, and why.
  • Architecture and Design Make the security mechanism as seamless as possible, while also providing the user with sufficient details when a security decision produces unexpected results.
Signaux de détection

How to detect CWE-655

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-655 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-655 ?

This weakness occurs when security features are so cumbersome or confusing that well-intentioned users feel forced to turn them off or find workarounds, defeating their purpose entirely.

Quelle est la gravité de CWE-655 ?

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-655 ?

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-655 ?

Where possible, perform human factors and usability studies to identify where your product's security mechanisms are difficult to use, and why. Make the security mechanism as seamless as possible, while also providing the user with sufficient details when a security decision produces unexpected results.

Comment Plexicus détecte et corrige CWE-655 ?

Le moteur SAST de Plexicus reconnaît la signature de flux de données de CWE-655 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-655 ?

MITRE publie la définition canonique à https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/655.html. Vous pouvez également consulter la documentation OWASP et NIST pour des conseils adjacents.

Faiblesses associées

Weaknesses related to CWE-655

CWE-657 Parent

Violation of Secure Design Principles

This weakness occurs when a system's architecture or design fails to follow fundamental security principles, creating a flawed foundation…

CWE-1192 Frère

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CWE-1395 Frère

Dependency on Vulnerable Third-Party Component

This vulnerability occurs when your software relies on an external library, framework, or module that contains known security flaws.

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-636 Frère

Not Failing Securely ('Failing Open')

This vulnerability occurs when a system, upon encountering an error or failure, defaults to its least secure configuration instead of a…

CWE-637 Frère

Unnecessary Complexity in Protection Mechanism (Not Using 'Economy of Mechanism')

This weakness occurs when a security feature is implemented with excessive complexity, creating unnecessary risk. Overly intricate…

CWE-638 Frère

Not Using Complete Mediation

This vulnerability occurs when software fails to verify access permissions every single time a user or process tries to use a resource.…

CWE-653 Frère

Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to enforce strong boundaries between components that operate at different security…

CWE-654 Frère

Reliance on a Single Factor in a Security Decision

This vulnerability occurs when a system's security check depends almost entirely on just one condition, object, or piece of data to decide…

Ressources

Further reading

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