CWE-655 Classe Rascunho

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.

Definição

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.
Impacto no mundo real

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-655

Ainda não há referências CVE públicas associadas a este CWE no catálogo da MITRE.

Como os atacantes a exploram

Trajeto do atacante passo a passo

  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.

Exemplo de código vulnerável

Vulnerable pseudo

A MITRE não publicou um exemplo de código para este CWE. O padrão abaixo é ilustrativo — consulte os Recursos para referências canónicas.

Vulnerável pseudo 
// Example pattern — see MITRE for the canonical references.
function handleRequest(input) {
  // Untrusted input flows directly into the sensitive sink.
  return executeUnsafe(input);
}
Exemplo 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 verificação de prevenção

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.
Sinais de deteção

How to detect CWE-655

SAST High

Executar análise estática (SAST) na base de código à procura do padrão inseguro no fluxo de dados.

DAST Moderate

Executar testes dinâmicos de segurança de aplicações (DAST) contra o endpoint em execução.

Runtime Moderate

Monitorizar os registos em tempo de execução para traços de exceção invulgares, input malformado ou tentativas de contornar a autorização.

Code review Moderate

Revisão de código: sinalizar qualquer novo código que trate input desta superfície sem usar os ajudantes validados do framework.

Correção automática do Plexicus

O Plexicus deteta automaticamente o CWE-655 e abre um PR de correção em menos de 60 segundos.

O Codex Remedium analisa cada commit, identifica esta fraqueza exata e entrega um pull request pronto para revisão com o patch. Sem tickets. Sem transferências.

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Perguntas frequentes

Frequently asked questions

O que é o 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.

Qual a gravidade do CWE-655?

A MITRE não publicou uma classificação de probabilidade de exploração para esta fraqueza. Trate-a como impacto médio até o seu modelo de ameaças provar o contrário.

Que linguagens ou plataformas são afetadas pelo CWE-655?

A MITRE não especificou as plataformas afetadas por este CWE — pode aplicar-se à maioria das stacks de aplicações.

Como posso prevenir o 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.

Como é que o Plexicus deteta e corrige o CWE-655?

O motor SAST do Plexicus correlaciona a assinatura de fluxo de dados do CWE-655 em cada commit. Quando é encontrada uma correspondência, o nosso agente Codex Remedium abre um PR de correção com o código corrigido, testes e um resumo de uma linha para o revisor.

Onde posso saber mais sobre o CWE-655?

A MITRE publica a definição canónica em https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/655.html. Pode também consultar a documentação da OWASP e do NIST para orientações adjacentes.

Fraquezas relacionadas

Weaknesses related to CWE-655

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Dependency on Vulnerable Third-Party Component

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Execution with Unnecessary Privileges

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Not Failing Securely ('Failing Open')

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CWE-637 Irmão

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

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CWE-638 Irmão

Not Using Complete Mediation

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CWE-653 Irmão

Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization

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

CWE-654 Irmão

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…

Recursos

Further reading

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