CWE-669 Classe Rascunho

Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres

This vulnerability occurs when an application incorrectly moves or shares a resource (like data, permissions, or functionality) between different trust boundaries or security contexts. This improper…

Definição

What is CWE-669?

This vulnerability occurs when an application incorrectly moves or shares a resource (like data, permissions, or functionality) between different trust boundaries or security contexts. This improper transfer can give unintended actors control over that resource, leading to security breaches.
Think of your application as having separate, secure zones—like a user interface (client-side), a backend server, and an administrative panel. Each zone has its own level of trust and permitted actions. This weakness happens when a resource, such as a user session, a file handle, or an administrative function, is mistakenly allowed to cross from a less-trusted zone into a more-trusted one, or is imported without proper validation. For example, a web application might incorrectly accept and process a user-supplied file path as if it originated from the secure server itself, allowing an attacker to access sensitive system files. To prevent this, developers must enforce strict boundaries between different spheres of control. Always validate and sanitize any resource that moves between contexts, explicitly check the origin of requests, and implement the principle of least privilege so that resources can only be used within their intended security scope. Auditing data flows and trust transitions in your architecture is key to identifying and fixing these improper transfers.
Impacto no mundo real

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-669

  • Chain: router's firmware update procedure uses curl with "-k" (insecure) option that disables certificate validation (CWE-295), allowing adversary-in-the-middle (AITM) compromise with a malicious firmware image (CWE-494).

  • PHP-based FAQ management app does not check the MIME type for uploaded images

  • Some image editors modify a JPEG image, but the original EXIF thumbnail image is left intact within the JPEG. (Also an interaction error).

Como os atacantes a exploram

Trajeto do atacante passo a passo

  1. 1

    The following code demonstrates the unrestricted upload of a file with a Java servlet and a path traversal vulnerability. The action attribute of an HTML form is sending the upload file request to the Java servlet.

  2. 2

    When submitted the Java servlet's doPost method will receive the request, extract the name of the file from the Http request header, read the file contents from the request and output the file to the local upload directory.

  3. 3

    This code does not perform a check on the type of the file being uploaded (CWE-434). This could allow an attacker to upload any executable file or other file with malicious code.

  4. 4

    Additionally, the creation of the BufferedWriter object is subject to relative path traversal (CWE-23). Since the code does not check the filename that is provided in the header, an attacker can use "../" sequences to write to files outside of the intended directory. Depending on the executing environment, the attacker may be able to specify arbitrary files to write to, leading to a wide variety of consequences, from code execution, XSS (CWE-79), or system crash.

  5. 5

    This code includes an external script to get database credentials, then authenticates a user against the database, allowing access to the application.

Exemplo de código vulnerável

Vulnerable Java

When submitted the Java servlet's doPost method will receive the request, extract the name of the file from the Http request header, read the file contents from the request and output the file to the local upload directory.

Vulnerável Java
public class FileUploadServlet extends HttpServlet {
  		...
  		protected void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
  				response.setContentType("text/html");
  				PrintWriter out = response.getWriter();
  				String contentType = request.getContentType();
  				// the starting position of the boundary header
  				int ind = contentType.indexOf("boundary=");
  				String boundary = contentType.substring(ind+9);
  				String pLine = new String();
  				String uploadLocation = new String(UPLOAD_DIRECTORY_STRING); //Constant value
  				// verify that content type is multipart form data
  				if (contentType != null && contentType.indexOf("multipart/form-data") != -1) {
  						// extract the filename from the Http header
  						BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(request.getInputStream()));
  						...
  						pLine = br.readLine();
  						String filename = pLine.substring(pLine.lastIndexOf("\\"), pLine.lastIndexOf("\""));
  						...
  						// output the file to the local upload directory
  						try {
  								BufferedWriter bw = new BufferedWriter(new FileWriter(uploadLocation+filename, true));
  								for (String line; (line=br.readLine())!=null; ) {
  									if (line.indexOf(boundary) == -1) {
  										bw.write(line);
  										bw.newLine();
  										bw.flush();
  									}
  								} //end of for loop
  								bw.close();
  						} catch (IOException ex) {...}
  						// output successful upload response HTML page
  				}
  				// output unsuccessful upload response HTML page
  				else
  				{...}
  		}
  			...
  }
Exemplo de código seguro

Secure HTML

The following code demonstrates the unrestricted upload of a file with a Java servlet and a path traversal vulnerability. The action attribute of an HTML form is sending the upload file request to the Java servlet.

Seguro HTML
<form action="FileUploadServlet" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
  Choose a file to upload:
  <input type="file" name="filename"/>
  <br/>
  <input type="submit" name="submit" value="Submit"/>
  </form>
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-669

  • Architecture Use safe-by-default frameworks and APIs that prevent the unsafe pattern from being expressible.
  • Implementation Validate input at trust boundaries; use allowlists, not denylists.
  • Implementation Apply the principle of least privilege to credentials, file paths, and runtime permissions.
  • Testing Cover this weakness in CI: SAST rules + targeted unit tests for the data flow.
  • Operation Monitor logs for the runtime signals listed in the next section.
Sinais de deteção

How to detect CWE-669

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-669 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.

Perguntas frequentes

Frequently asked questions

O que é o CWE-669?

This vulnerability occurs when an application incorrectly moves or shares a resource (like data, permissions, or functionality) between different trust boundaries or security contexts. This improper transfer can give unintended actors control over that resource, leading to security breaches.

Qual a gravidade do CWE-669?

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-669?

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

Como posso prevenir o CWE-669?

Use safe-by-default frameworks, validate untrusted input at trust boundaries, and apply the principle of least privilege. Cover the data-flow signature in CI with SAST.

Como é que o Plexicus deteta e corrige o CWE-669?

O motor SAST do Plexicus correlaciona a assinatura de fluxo de dados do CWE-669 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-669?

A MITRE publica a definição canónica em https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/669.html. Pode também consultar a documentação da OWASP e do NIST para orientações adjacentes.

Fraquezas relacionadas

Weaknesses related to CWE-669

CWE-664 Pai

Improper Control of a Resource Through its Lifetime

This vulnerability occurs when software fails to properly manage a resource throughout its entire lifecycle—from creation and active use…

CWE-118 Irmão

Incorrect Access of Indexable Resource ('Range Error')

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CWE-1229 Irmão

Creation of Emergent Resource

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CWE-1250 Irmão

Improper Preservation of Consistency Between Independent Representations of Shared State

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CWE-1329 Irmão

Reliance on Component That is Not Updateable

This vulnerability occurs when a product depends on a component that cannot be updated or patched to fix security flaws or critical bugs.

CWE-221 Irmão

Information Loss or Omission

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CWE-372 Irmão

Incomplete Internal State Distinction

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CWE-400 Irmão

Uncontrolled Resource Consumption

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CWE-404 Irmão

Improper Resource Shutdown or Release

This vulnerability occurs when a program fails to properly close or release a system resource—like a file handle, database connection, or…

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