| Name |
Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels |
|
| Likelyhood of attack |
Typical severity |
| High |
Medium |
|
| Summary |
An attacker exploits a weakness in the configuration of access controls and is able to bypass the intended protection that these measures guard against and thereby obtain unauthorized access to the system or network. Sensitive functionality should always be protected with access controls. However configuring all but the most trivial access control systems can be very complicated and there are many opportunities for mistakes. If an attacker can learn of incorrectly configured access security settings, they may be able to exploit this in an attack. |
| Prerequisites |
The target must apply access controls, but incorrectly configure them. However, not all incorrect configurations can be exploited by an attacker. If the incorrect configuration applies too little security to some functionality, then the attacker may be able to exploit it if the access control would be the only thing preventing an attacker's access and it no longer does so. If the incorrect configuration applies too much security, it must prevent legitimate activity and the attacker must be able to force others to require this activity.. |
| Execution Flow |
| Step |
Phase |
Description |
Techniques |
| 1 |
Explore |
[Survey] The attacker surveys the target application, possibly as a valid and authenticated user. |
- Spider the web site for all available links.
- Brute force to guess all function names/action with different privileges.
|
| 2 |
Experiment |
[Identify weak points in access control configurations] The attacker probes the access control for functions and data identified in the Explore phase to identify potential weaknesses in how the access controls are configured. |
- The attacker attempts authenticated access to targeted functions and data.
- The attacker attempts unauthenticated access to targeted functions and data.
- The attacker attempts indirect and side channel access to targeted functions and data.
|
| 3 |
Exploit |
[Access the function or data bypassing the access control] The attacker executes the function or accesses the data identified in the Explore phase bypassing the access control. |
- The attacker executes the function or accesses the data not authorized to them.
|
|
| Solutions | Design: Configure the access control correctly. |
| Related Weaknesses |
|
CWE ID
|
Description
|
| CWE-732 |
Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource |
| CWE-1190 |
DMA Device Enabled Too Early in Boot Phase |
| CWE-1193 |
Power-On of Untrusted Execution Core Before Enabling Fabric Access Control |
| CWE-1220 |
Insufficient Granularity of Access Control |
| CWE-1268 |
Policy Privileges are not Assigned Consistently Between Control and Data Agents |
| CWE-1280 |
Access Control Check Implemented After Asset is Accessed |
| CWE-1297 |
Unprotected Confidential Information on Device is Accessible by OSAT Vendors |
| CWE-1311 |
Improper Translation of Security Attributes by Fabric Bridge |
| CWE-1315 |
Improper Setting of Bus Controlling Capability in Fabric End-point |
| CWE-1318 |
Missing Support for Security Features in On-chip Fabrics or Buses |
| CWE-1320 |
Improper Protection for Out of Bounds Signal Level Alerts |
| CWE-1321 |
Improperly Controlled Modification of Object Prototype Attributes ('Prototype Pollution') |
|
| Related CAPECS |
|
CAPEC ID
|
Description
|
| CAPEC-17 |
An attack of this type exploits a system's configuration that allows an adversary to either directly access an executable file, for example through shell access; or in a possible worst case allows an adversary to upload a file and then execute it. Web servers, ftp servers, and message oriented middleware systems which have many integration points are particularly vulnerable, because both the programmers and the administrators must be in synch regarding the interfaces and the correct privileges for each interface. |
| CAPEC-122 |
An adversary is able to exploit features of the target that should be reserved for privileged users or administrators but are exposed to use by lower or non-privileged accounts. Access to sensitive information and functionality must be controlled to ensure that only authorized users are able to access these resources. |
|