| Impact | Details |
|---|---|
|
Read Application Data; Gain Privileges or Assume Identity; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands |
Scope: Integrity, Confidentiality, Availability, Access Control
This weakness can lead to the exposure of resources or functionality to unintended actors, possibly providing attackers with sensitive information or even execute arbitrary code.
|
| Phase(s) | Mitigation |
|---|---|
|
Architecture and Design |
Strategy: Libraries or Frameworks Use an authentication framework or library such as the OWASP ESAPI Authentication feature.
|
| Nature | Type | ID | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChildOf | Pillar Pillar - a weakness that is the most abstract type of weakness and represents a theme for all class/base/variant weaknesses related to it. A Pillar is different from a Category as a Pillar is still technically a type of weakness that describes a mistake, while a Category represents a common characteristic used to group related things. | 284 | Improper Access Control |
| ParentOf | Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. | 295 | Improper Certificate Validation |
| ParentOf | Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. | 306 | Missing Authentication for Critical Function |
| ParentOf | Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. | 645 | Overly Restrictive Account Lockout Mechanism |
| ParentOf | Class Class - a weakness that is described in a very abstract fashion, typically independent of any specific language or technology. More specific than a Pillar Weakness, but more general than a Base Weakness. Class level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 1 or 2 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, and resource. | 1390 | Weak Authentication |
| CanFollow | Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. | 613 | Insufficient Session Expiration |
| Nature | Type | ID | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| MemberOf | View View - a subset of CWE entries that provides a way of examining CWE content. The two main view structures are Slices (flat lists) and Graphs (containing relationships between entries). | 1003 | Weaknesses for Simplified Mapping of Published Vulnerabilities |
| ParentOf | Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. | 290 | Authentication Bypass by Spoofing |
| ParentOf | Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. | 294 | Authentication Bypass by Capture-replay |
| ParentOf | Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. | 295 | Improper Certificate Validation |
| ParentOf | Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. | 306 | Missing Authentication for Critical Function |
| ParentOf | Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. | 307 | Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts |
| ParentOf | Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. | 521 | Weak Password Requirements |
| ParentOf | Class Class - a weakness that is described in a very abstract fashion, typically independent of any specific language or technology. More specific than a Pillar Weakness, but more general than a Base Weakness. Class level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 1 or 2 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, and resource. | 522 | Insufficiently Protected Credentials |
| ParentOf | Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. | 640 | Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password |
| ParentOf | Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. | 798 | Use of Hard-coded Credentials |
| Nature | Type | ID | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| MemberOf | Category Category - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. | 1010 | Authenticate Actors |
| Nature | Type | ID | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChildOf | Pillar Pillar - a weakness that is the most abstract type of weakness and represents a theme for all class/base/variant weaknesses related to it. A Pillar is different from a Category as a Pillar is still technically a type of weakness that describes a mistake, while a Category represents a common characteristic used to group related things. | 284 | Improper Access Control |
| Phase | Note |
|---|---|
| Architecture and Design | |
| Implementation | REALIZATION: This weakness is caused during implementation of an architectural security tactic. |
Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined Prevalence)
Class: ICS/OT (Often Prevalent)
Example 1
The following code intends to ensure that the user is already logged in. If not, the code performs authentication with the user-provided username and password. If successful, it sets the loggedin and user cookies to "remember" that the user has already logged in. Finally, the code performs administrator tasks if the logged-in user has the "Administrator" username, as recorded in the user cookie.
Unfortunately, this code can be bypassed. The attacker can set the cookies independently so that the code does not check the username and password. The attacker could do this with an HTTP request containing headers such as:
By setting the loggedin cookie to "true", the attacker bypasses the entire authentication check. By using the "Administrator" value in the user cookie, the attacker also gains privileges to administer the software.
Example 2
In January 2009, an attacker was able to gain administrator access to a Twitter server because the server did not restrict the number of login attempts [REF-236]. The attacker targeted a member of Twitter's support team and was able to successfully guess the member's password using a brute force attack by guessing a large number of common words. After gaining access as the member of the support staff, the attacker used the administrator panel to gain access to 33 accounts that belonged to celebrities and politicians. Ultimately, fake Twitter messages were sent that appeared to come from the compromised accounts.
Example 3
In 2022, the OT:ICEFALL study examined products by 10 different Operational Technology (OT) vendors. The researchers reported 56 vulnerabilities and said that the products were "insecure by design" [REF-1283]. If exploited, these vulnerabilities often allowed adversaries to change how the products operated, ranging from denial of service to changing the code that the products executed. Since these products were often used in industries such as power, electrical, water, and others, there could even be safety implications.
Multiple vendors did not use any authentication or used client-side authentication for critical functionality in their OT products.
Note: this is a curated list of examples for users to understand the variety of ways in which this weakness can be introduced. It is not a complete list of all CVEs that are related to this CWE entry.
| Reference | Description |
|---|---|
|
File-sharing PHP product does not check if user is logged in during requests for PHP library files under an includes/ directory, allowing configuration changes, code execution, and other impacts.
|
|
|
Chat application skips validation when Central Authentication Service
(CAS) is enabled, effectively removing the second factor from
two-factor authentication
|
|
|
Python-based authentication proxy does not enforce password authentication during the initial handshake, allowing the client to bypass authentication by specifying a 'None' authentication type.
|
|
|
TCP-based protocol in Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) has no authentication.
|
|
|
Condition Monitor uses a protocol that does not require authentication.
|
|
|
Safety Instrumented System uses proprietary TCP protocols with no authentication.
|
|
|
Distributed Control System (DCS) uses a protocol that has no authentication.
|
|
|
SCADA system only uses client-side authentication, allowing adversaries to impersonate other users.
|
|
|
IT management product does not perform authentication for some REST API requests, as exploited in the wild per CISA KEV.
|
|
|
Firmware for a WiFi router uses a hard-coded password for a BusyBox shell, allowing bypass of authentication through the UART port
|
|
|
Bluetooth speaker does not require authentication for the debug functionality on the UART port, allowing root shell access
|
|
|
Default setting in workflow management product allows all API requests without authentication, as exploited in the wild per CISA KEV.
|
|
|
Stack-based buffer overflows in SFK for wifi chipset used for IoT/embedded devices, as exploited in the wild per CISA KEV.
|
|
|
Mail server does not properly check an access token before executing a Powershell command, as exploited in the wild per CISA KEV.
|
|
|
Authentication bypass by appending specific parameters and values to a URI, as exploited in the wild per CISA KEV.
|
|
|
Mail server does not generate a unique key during installation, as exploited in the wild per CISA KEV.
|
|
|
LDAP Go package allows authentication bypass using an empty password, causing an unauthenticated LDAP bind
|
|
|
login script for guestbook allows bypassing authentication by setting a "login_ok" parameter to 1.
|
|
|
admin script allows authentication bypass by setting a cookie value to "LOGGEDIN".
|
|
|
VOIP product allows authentication bypass using 127.0.0.1 in the Host header.
|
|
|
product uses default "Allow" action, instead of default deny, leading to authentication bypass.
|
|
|
chain: redirect without exit (CWE-698) leads to resultant authentication bypass.
|
|
|
product does not restrict access to a listening port for a critical service, allowing authentication to be bypassed.
|
|
|
product does not properly implement a security-related configuration setting, allowing authentication bypass.
|
|
|
authentication routine returns "nil" instead of "false" in some situations, allowing authentication bypass using an invalid username.
|
|
|
authentication update script does not properly handle when admin does not select any authentication modules, allowing authentication bypass.
|
|
|
use of LDAP authentication with anonymous binds causes empty password to result in successful authentication
|
|
|
product authentication succeeds if user-provided MD5 hash matches the hash in its database; this can be subjected to replay attacks.
|
|
|
chain: product generates predictable MD5 hashes using a constant value combined with username, allowing authentication bypass.
|
| Method | Details |
|---|---|
|
Automated Static Analysis |
Automated static analysis is useful for detecting certain types of authentication. A tool may be able to analyze related configuration files, such as .htaccess in Apache web servers, or detect the usage of commonly-used authentication libraries. Generally, automated static analysis tools have difficulty detecting custom authentication schemes. In addition, the software's design may include some functionality that is accessible to any user and does not require an established identity; an automated technique that detects the absence of authentication may report false positives. Effectiveness: Limited |
|
Manual Static Analysis |
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. Manual static analysis is useful for evaluating the correctness of custom authentication mechanisms. Effectiveness: High Note:These may be more effective than strictly automated techniques. This is especially the case with weaknesses that are related to design and business rules. |
|
Manual Static Analysis - Binary or Bytecode |
According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Cost effective for partial coverage:
Effectiveness: SOAR Partial |
|
Dynamic Analysis with Automated Results Interpretation |
According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Cost effective for partial coverage:
Effectiveness: SOAR Partial |
|
Dynamic Analysis with Manual Results Interpretation |
According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Cost effective for partial coverage:
Effectiveness: SOAR Partial |
|
Manual Static Analysis - Source Code |
According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Cost effective for partial coverage:
Effectiveness: SOAR Partial |
|
Automated Static Analysis - Source Code |
According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Cost effective for partial coverage:
Effectiveness: SOAR Partial |
|
Automated Static Analysis |
According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Cost effective for partial coverage:
Effectiveness: SOAR Partial |
|
Architecture or Design Review |
According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Highly cost effective:
Effectiveness: High |
| Nature | Type | ID | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| MemberOf | ViewView - a subset of CWE entries that provides a way of examining CWE content. The two main view structures are Slices (flat lists) and Graphs (containing relationships between entries). | 635 | Weaknesses Originally Used by NVD from 2008 to 2016 |
| MemberOf | CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. | 718 | OWASP Top Ten 2007 Category A7 - Broken Authentication and Session Management |
| MemberOf | CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. | 724 | OWASP Top Ten 2004 Category A3 - Broken Authentication and Session Management |
| MemberOf | CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. | 812 | OWASP Top Ten 2010 Category A3 - Broken Authentication and Session Management |
| MemberOf | CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. | 930 | OWASP Top Ten 2013 Category A2 - Broken Authentication and Session Management |
| MemberOf | CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. | 947 | SFP Secondary Cluster: Authentication Bypass |
| MemberOf | CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. | 1028 | OWASP Top Ten 2017 Category A2 - Broken Authentication |
| MemberOf | ViewView - a subset of CWE entries that provides a way of examining CWE content. The two main view structures are Slices (flat lists) and Graphs (containing relationships between entries). | 1200 | Weaknesses in the 2019 CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Errors |
| MemberOf | ViewView - a subset of CWE entries that provides a way of examining CWE content. The two main view structures are Slices (flat lists) and Graphs (containing relationships between entries). | 1337 | Weaknesses in the 2021 CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses |
| MemberOf | ViewView - a subset of CWE entries that provides a way of examining CWE content. The two main view structures are Slices (flat lists) and Graphs (containing relationships between entries). | 1350 | Weaknesses in the 2020 CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses |
| MemberOf | CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. | 1353 | OWASP Top Ten 2021 Category A07:2021 - Identification and Authentication Failures |
| MemberOf | CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. | 1364 | ICS Communications: Zone Boundary Failures |
| MemberOf | CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. | 1368 | ICS Dependencies (& Architecture): External Digital Systems |
| MemberOf | ViewView - a subset of CWE entries that provides a way of examining CWE content. The two main view structures are Slices (flat lists) and Graphs (containing relationships between entries). | 1387 | Weaknesses in the 2022 CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses |
| MemberOf | CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. | 1396 | Comprehensive Categorization: Access Control |
| MemberOf | ViewView - a subset of CWE entries that provides a way of examining CWE content. The two main view structures are Slices (flat lists) and Graphs (containing relationships between entries). | 1425 | Weaknesses in the 2023 CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses |
| MemberOf | ViewView - a subset of CWE entries that provides a way of examining CWE content. The two main view structures are Slices (flat lists) and Graphs (containing relationships between entries). | 1430 | Weaknesses in the 2024 CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses |
| Usage |
DISCOURAGED
(this CWE ID should not be used to map to real-world vulnerabilities)
|
| Reason | Frequent Misuse |
|
Rationale |
This CWE entry might be misused when lower-level CWE entries are likely to be applicable. It is a level-1 Class (i.e., a child of a Pillar). |
|
Comments |
Consider children or descendants, beginning with CWE-1390: Weak Authentication or CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function. |
|
Suggestions |
Relationship
Maintenance
| Mapped Taxonomy Name | Node ID | Fit | Mapped Node Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLOVER | Authentication Error | ||
| OWASP Top Ten 2007 | A7 | CWE More Specific | Broken Authentication and Session Management |
| OWASP Top Ten 2004 | A3 | CWE More Specific | Broken Authentication and Session Management |
| WASC | 1 | Insufficient Authentication | |
| ISA/IEC 62443 | Part 3-3 | Req SR 1.1 | |
| ISA/IEC 62443 | Part 3-3 | Req SR 1.2 | |
| ISA/IEC 62443 | Part 4-2 | Req CR 1.1 | |
| ISA/IEC 62443 | Part 4-2 | Req CR 1.2 |
| CAPEC-ID | Attack Pattern Name |
|---|---|
| CAPEC-114 | Authentication Abuse |
| CAPEC-115 | Authentication Bypass |
| CAPEC-151 | Identity Spoofing |
| CAPEC-194 | Fake the Source of Data |
| CAPEC-22 | Exploiting Trust in Client |
| CAPEC-57 | Utilizing REST's Trust in the System Resource to Obtain Sensitive Data |
| CAPEC-593 | Session Hijacking |
| CAPEC-633 | Token Impersonation |
| CAPEC-650 | Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server |
| CAPEC-94 | Adversary in the Middle (AiTM) |
| Submissions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Submission Date | Submitter | Organization | |
|
2006年07月19日
(CWE Draft 3, 2006年07月19日) |
PLOVER | ||
| Contributions | |||
| Contribution Date | Contributor | Organization | |
|
2024年02月29日
(CWE 4.15, 2024年07月16日) |
Abhi Balakrishnan | ||
| Provided diagram to improve CWE usability | |||
| Modifications | |||
| Modification Date | Modifier | Organization | |
|
2025年09月09日
(CWE 4.18, 2025年09月09日) |
CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Demonstrative_Examples, Detection_Factors, References | |||
|
2025年04月03日
(CWE 4.17, 2025年04月03日) |
CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Observed_Examples | |||
|
2024年11月19日
(CWE 4.16, 2024年11月19日) |
CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
|
2024年07月16日
(CWE 4.15, 2024年07月16日) |
CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Diagram | |||
|
2024年02月29日
(CWE 4.14, 2024年02月29日) |
CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Observed_Examples | |||
| 2023年10月26日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Observed_Examples | |||
| 2023年06月29日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Mapping_Notes, Relationships | |||
| 2023年04月27日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Demonstrative_Examples, References, Relationships | |||
| 2023年01月31日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Description, Maintenance_Notes, Observed_Examples, Taxonomy_Mappings | |||
| 2022年10月13日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Applicable_Platforms, Demonstrative_Examples, Observed_Examples, References, Relationships | |||
| 2022年06月28日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Observed_Examples, Relationships | |||
| 2021年10月28日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2021年07月20日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2021年03月15日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Alternate_Terms, Demonstrative_Examples | |||
| 2020年12月10日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2020年08月20日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2020年02月24日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2019年09月19日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2019年06月20日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Demonstrative_Examples, Related_Attack_Patterns, Relationships | |||
| 2019年01月03日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Related_Attack_Patterns | |||
| 2018年03月27日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated References, Relationships | |||
| 2017年11月08日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Demonstrative_Examples, Likelihood_of_Exploit, Modes_of_Introduction, References, Relationships | |||
| 2017年05月03日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Related_Attack_Patterns, Relationships | |||
| 2017年01月19日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2015年12月07日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2014年07月30日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Detection_Factors, Relationships | |||
| 2014年06月23日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2014年02月18日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2013年07月17日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2012年05月11日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2011年06月01日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Common_Consequences | |||
| 2011年03月29日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2010年06月21日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2010年02月16日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Alternate_Terms, Detection_Factors, Potential_Mitigations, References, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings | |||
| 2009年12月28日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Applicable_Platforms, Common_Consequences, Demonstrative_Examples, Detection_Factors, Likelihood_of_Exploit, References | |||
| 2009年10月29日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Common_Consequences, Observed_Examples | |||
| 2009年07月27日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2009年05月27日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Description, Related_Attack_Patterns | |||
| 2009年01月12日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Name | |||
| 2008年10月14日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Relationships | |||
| 2008年09月08日 | CWE Content Team | MITRE | |
| updated Alternate_Terms, Common_Consequences, Relationships, Relationship_Notes, Taxonomy_Mappings | |||
| 2008年08月15日 | Veracode | ||
| Suggested OWASP Top Ten 2004 mapping | |||
| 2008年07月01日 | Eric Dalci | Cigital | |
| updated Time_of_Introduction | |||
| Previous Entry Names | |||
| Change Date | Previous Entry Name | ||
| 2008年04月11日 | Authentication Issues | ||
| 2009年01月12日 | Insufficient Authentication | ||
Use of the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE™) and the associated references from this website are subject to the Terms of Use. CWE is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and managed by the Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (HSSEDI) which is operated by The MITRE Corporation (MITRE). Copyright © 2006–2025, The MITRE Corporation. CWE, CWSS, CWRAF, and the CWE logo are trademarks of The MITRE Corporation.