According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: ``` Cost effective for partial coverage: ``` Compare binary / bytecode to application permission manifest
CWE-272 Base Incompleto
Least Privilege Violation
This vulnerability occurs when software fails to reduce its elevated system privileges after completing a sensitive operation, leaving it with unnecessary and dangerous access rights.
Definición
What is CWE-272?
This vulnerability occurs when software fails to reduce its elevated system privileges after completing a sensitive operation, leaving it with unnecessary and dangerous access rights.
Many critical system functions, like changing the root directory with `chroot()`, require temporary high-level privileges. The secure pattern is to request these elevated rights, perform the single specific task, and then immediately and deliberately drop back down to a normal, restricted privilege level. Failing to do this creates a prolonged attack window where any subsequent bug or compromise in the software can be exploited with those high privileges, leading to severe system damage.
For developers, this means your code should follow a 'need-to-know' and 'need-to-use' principle for permissions. Structure your program to operate with the least privilege possible by default, escalate only for discrete operations, and revert immediately. This practice, often called privilege dropping or shedding, is a core defense-in-depth strategy that limits the potential impact of other security flaws in your application.
Impacto en el mundo real
Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-272
Todavía no hay CVEs públicos enlazados a esta CWE en el catálogo de MITRE.
Cómo lo explotan los atacantes
Ruta del atacante paso a paso
- 1
The following example demonstrates the weakness.
- 2
The following example demonstrates the weakness.
- 3
The following code calls chroot() to restrict the application to a subset of the filesystem below APP_HOME in order to prevent an attacker from using the program to gain unauthorized access to files located elsewhere. The code then opens a file specified by the user and processes the contents of the file.
- 4
Constraining the process inside the application's home directory before opening any files is a valuable security measure. However, the absence of a call to setuid() with some non-zero value means the application is continuing to operate with unnecessary root privileges. Any successful exploit carried out by an attacker against the application can now result in a privilege escalation attack because any malicious operations will be performed with the privileges of the superuser. If the application drops to the privilege level of a non-root user, the potential for damage is substantially reduced.
Ejemplo de código vulnerable
Vulnerable C
The following example demonstrates the weakness.
setuid(0);
```
// Do some important stuff*
setuid(old_uid);
*// Do some non privileged stuff.* Ejemplo de código seguro
Secure 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 prevención
How to prevent CWE-272
- Architecture and Design / Operation Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
- Architecture and Design Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
- Architecture and Design 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.
Señales de detección
How to detect CWE-272
According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: ``` Cost effective for partial coverage: ``` Host-based Vulnerability Scanners - Examine configuration for flaws, verifying that audit mechanisms work, ensure host configuration meets certain predefined criteria
According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: ``` Highly cost effective: ``` Manual Source Code Review (not inspections) ``` Cost effective for partial coverage: ``` Focused Manual Spotcheck - Focused manual analysis of source
According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: ``` Cost effective for partial coverage: ``` Source code Weakness Analyzer Context-configured Source Code Weakness Analyzer
According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: ``` Cost effective for partial coverage: ``` Permission Manifest Analysis
According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: ``` Highly cost effective: ``` Inspection (IEEE 1028 standard) (can apply to requirements, design, source code, etc.) Formal Methods / Correct-By-Construction ``` Cost effective for partial coverage: ``` Attack Modeling
CWE-272
Don't catalog this weakness. Prove it's reachable.
Plexicus turns CWE catalogs into evidence: every CWE-pattern is matched against your real code graph, reach is proven on a sandbox clone, and verified findings ship as reviewed PRs.
Preguntas frecuentes ¿Qué es CWE-272?
¿Qué gravedad tiene CWE-272?
¿Qué lenguajes o plataformas se ven afectados por CWE-272?
¿Cómo puedo prevenir CWE-272?
¿Cómo detecta y corrige Plexicus CWE-272?
¿Dónde puedo aprender más sobre CWE-272?
Frequently asked questions
¿Qué es CWE-272?
This vulnerability occurs when software fails to reduce its elevated system privileges after completing a sensitive operation, leaving it with unnecessary and dangerous access rights.
¿Qué gravedad tiene CWE-272?
MITRE no ha publicado una calificación de probabilidad de explotación para esta debilidad. Trátala como de impacto medio hasta que tu modelo de amenazas demuestre lo contrario.
¿Qué lenguajes o plataformas se ven afectados por CWE-272?
MITRE no ha especificado plataformas afectadas para esta CWE — puede aplicar a la mayoría de los stacks de aplicaciones.
¿Cómo puedo prevenir CWE-272?
Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software. Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
¿Cómo detecta y corrige Plexicus CWE-272?
El motor SAST de Plexicus detecta la firma de flujo de datos para CWE-272 en cada commit. Cuando hay coincidencia, nuestro agente Codex Remedium abre un PR de corrección con el código corregido, las pruebas y un resumen de una línea para el revisor.
¿Dónde puedo aprender más sobre CWE-272?
MITRE publica la definición canónica en https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/272.html. También puedes consultar la documentación de OWASP y NIST para guías relacionadas.
Debilidades relacionadas
Weaknesses related to CWE-272
CWE-271 Padre
Privilege Dropping / Lowering Errors
This vulnerability occurs when a system or process fails to reduce its elevated permissions before transferring control of a resource to a…
CWE-273 Hermano
Improper Check for Dropped Privileges
This vulnerability occurs when an application tries to lower its system privileges but fails to verify that the operation was successful.
Recursos
Further reading
- MITRE — CWE-272 oficial https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/272.html
- Seven Pernicious Kingdoms: A Taxonomy of Software Security Errors https://samate.nist.gov/SSATTM_Content/papers/Seven%20Pernicious%20Kingdoms%20-%20Taxonomy%20of%20Sw%20Security%20Errors%20-%20Tsipenyuk%20-%20Chess%20-%20McGraw.pdf
- State-of-the-Art Resources (SOAR) for Software Vulnerability Detection, Test, and Evaluation https://www.ida.org/-/media/feature/publications/s/st/stateoftheart-resources-soar-for-software-vulnerability-detection-test-and-evaluation/p-5061.ashx
¿Listo para validar lo que importa?
Listo para validar lo que importa.
Plexicus es Proof-Driven AppSec: hallazgos validados, comprensión contextual y remediación revisada — anclada en evidencia, acotada contigo.