CWE-271
Privilege Dropping / Lowering Errors
AI Translation Available
The product does not drop privileges before passing control of a resource to an actor that does not have those privileges.
Status
incomplete
Abstraction
class
Likelihood
high
Affected Platforms
Extended Description
AI Translation
In some contexts, a system executing with elevated permissions will hand off a process/file/etc. to another process or user. If the privileges of an entity are not reduced, then elevated privileges are spread throughout a system and possibly to an attacker.
Technical Details
AI Translation
Common Consequences
access control
non-repudiation
Impacts
gain privileges or assume identity
hide activities
Potential Mitigations
Phases:
architecture and design
operation
Descriptions:
•
Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
•
Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area.
Ensure that appropriate compartmentalization is built into the system design, and the compartmentalization allows for and reinforces privilege separation functionality. Architects and designers should rely on the principle of least privilege to decide the appropriate time to use privileges and the time to drop privileges.
•
Consider following the principle of separation of privilege. Require multiple conditions to be met before permitting access to a system resource.