Ejecuta análisis estático (SAST) sobre el código buscando el patrón inseguro en el flujo de datos.
CWE-640 Base Incompleto
Weak Password Recovery Mechanism for Forgotten Password
This vulnerability occurs when an application's password reset or recovery feature is poorly designed or implemented, allowing attackers to bypass authentication and hijack user accounts.
Definición
What is CWE-640?
This vulnerability occurs when an application's password reset or recovery feature is poorly designed or implemented, allowing attackers to bypass authentication and hijack user accounts.
Password recovery is a necessary feature, but it often becomes the weakest link in your authentication system. Common flaws include using easily guessed security questions (answers found on social media), sending the original password instead of a secure temporary one, or failing to limit reset attempts, which enables denial-of-service attacks. Attackers exploit these oversights to impersonate legitimate users, completely undermining even strong initial password policies.
To prevent this, treat the recovery mechanism with the same security rigor as the primary login. Always generate a time-limited, single-use token sent to a pre-verified contact method. Implement robust rate-limiting and audit logs for all recovery attempts. The goal is to verify the user's identity securely without creating a new, exploitable path into the account.
Impacto en el mundo real
Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-640
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
Identifica una ruta de código que maneje entrada no confiable sin validación.
- 2
Crea un payload que ejercite el comportamiento inseguro — inyección, traversal, overflow o abuso de lógica.
- 3
Envía el payload a través de una solicitud normal y observa la reacción de la aplicación.
- 4
Itera hasta que la respuesta filtre datos, ejecute código del atacante o escale privilegios.
Ejemplo de código vulnerable
Vulnerable pseudo
MITRE no ha publicado un ejemplo de código para esta CWE. El patrón siguiente es ilustrativo — consulta Recursos para referencias canónicas.
// Example pattern — see MITRE for the canonical references.
function handleRequest(input) {
// Untrusted input flows directly into the sensitive sink.
return executeUnsafe(input);
} 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-640
- Architecture and Design Make sure that all input supplied by the user to the password recovery mechanism is thoroughly filtered and validated.
- Architecture and Design Do not use standard weak security questions and use several security questions.
- Architecture and Design Make sure that there is throttling on the number of incorrect answers to a security question. Disable the password recovery functionality after a certain (small) number of incorrect guesses.
- Architecture and Design Require that the user properly answers the security question prior to resetting their password and sending the new password to the e-mail address of record.
- Architecture and Design Never allow the user to control what e-mail address the new password will be sent to in the password recovery mechanism.
- Architecture and Design Assign a new temporary password rather than revealing the original password.
Señales de detección
How to detect CWE-640
Ejecuta pruebas dinámicas de seguridad de aplicaciones (DAST) contra el endpoint en vivo.
Vigila los logs en tiempo de ejecución para detectar trazas de excepción inusuales, entradas malformadas o intentos de bypass de autorización.
Revisión de código: marca cualquier código nuevo que maneje entrada desde esta superficie sin usar los helpers validados del framework.
CWE-640
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-640?
¿Qué gravedad tiene CWE-640?
¿Qué lenguajes o plataformas se ven afectados por CWE-640?
¿Cómo puedo prevenir CWE-640?
¿Cómo detecta y corrige Plexicus CWE-640?
¿Dónde puedo aprender más sobre CWE-640?
Frequently asked questions
¿Qué es CWE-640?
This vulnerability occurs when an application's password reset or recovery feature is poorly designed or implemented, allowing attackers to bypass authentication and hijack user accounts.
¿Qué gravedad tiene CWE-640?
MITRE califica la probabilidad de explotación como Alta — esta debilidad se explota activamente en la práctica y debe priorizarse para su remediación.
¿Qué lenguajes o plataformas se ven afectados por CWE-640?
MITRE no ha especificado plataformas afectadas para esta CWE — puede aplicar a la mayoría de los stacks de aplicaciones.
¿Cómo puedo prevenir CWE-640?
Make sure that all input supplied by the user to the password recovery mechanism is thoroughly filtered and validated. Do not use standard weak security questions and use several security questions.
¿Cómo detecta y corrige Plexicus CWE-640?
El motor SAST de Plexicus detecta la firma de flujo de datos para CWE-640 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-640?
MITRE publica la definición canónica en https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/640.html. También puedes consultar la documentación de OWASP y NIST para guías relacionadas.
Debilidades relacionadas
Weaknesses related to CWE-640
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CWE-262 Hermano
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This vulnerability occurs when a system lacks password expiration policies, allowing users to keep the same password indefinitely.
CWE-263 Hermano
Password Aging with Long Expiration
The system enforces password changes, but the time allowed between changes is excessively long, weakening security.
CWE-289 Hermano
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CWE-290 Hermano
Authentication Bypass by Spoofing
This weakness occurs when an application's authentication system can be tricked into accepting forged or manipulated credentials, allowing…
CWE-294 Hermano
Authentication Bypass by Capture-replay
This vulnerability occurs when an attacker can intercept and record legitimate authentication traffic, then replay it later to gain…
CWE-301 Hermano
Reflection Attack in an Authentication Protocol
A reflection attack is a flaw in mutual authentication protocols that allows an attacker to impersonate a legitimate user without knowing…
CWE-302 Hermano
Authentication Bypass by Assumed-Immutable Data
This vulnerability occurs when an authentication system incorrectly treats certain data as unchangeable, when in fact an attacker can…
¿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.