CWE-655 Clase Borrador

Insufficient Psychological Acceptability

This weakness occurs when security features are so cumbersome or confusing that well-intentioned users feel forced to turn them off or find workarounds, defeating their purpose entirely.

Definición

What is CWE-655?

This weakness occurs when security features are so cumbersome or confusing that well-intentioned users feel forced to turn them off or find workarounds, defeating their purpose entirely.

At its core, this is a design failure that prioritizes theoretical security over real-world usability. When features like complex password rules, frequent re-authentication prompts, or convoluted privacy settings create significant friction, users will naturally seek the path of least resistance. This often means disabling the protection altogether, using weak passwords to meet requirements, or sharing credentials to avoid login hassles—actions that introduce far greater risk than the feature was meant to prevent. To avoid this, security must be baked into the user experience, not bolted on as an obstacle. Developers should design controls that are intuitive, context-aware, and minimally invasive. For example, offering biometric authentication alongside passwords, using risk-based authentication to reduce unnecessary prompts, or providing clear, immediate value for security actions. The goal is to make the secure choice the easiest and most obvious one, aligning security objectives with natural user behavior rather than fighting against it.

Impacto en el mundo real

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-655

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
In "Usability of Security: A Case Study" [REF-540], the authors consider human factors in a cryptography product. Some of the weakness relevant discoveries of this case study were: users accidentally leaked sensitive information, could not figure out how to perform some tasks, thought they were enabling a security option when they were not, and made improper trust decisions.
2
Enforcing complex and difficult-to-remember passwords that need to be frequently changed for access to trivial resources, e.g., to use a black-and-white printer. Complex password requirements can also cause users to store the passwords in an unsafe manner so they don't have to remember them, such as using a sticky note or saving them in an unencrypted file.
3
Some CAPTCHA utilities produce images that are too difficult for a human to read, causing user frustration.

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.

Vulnerable pseudo

// 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

Seguro 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-655

Testing Where possible, perform human factors and usability studies to identify where your product's security mechanisms are difficult to use, and why.
Architecture and Design Make the security mechanism as seamless as possible, while also providing the user with sufficient details when a security decision produces unexpected results.

Señales de detección

How to detect CWE-655

SAST High

Ejecuta análisis estático (SAST) sobre el código buscando el patrón inseguro en el flujo de datos.

DAST Moderate

Ejecuta pruebas dinámicas de seguridad de aplicaciones (DAST) contra el endpoint en vivo.

Runtime Moderate

Vigila los logs en tiempo de ejecución para detectar trazas de excepción inusuales, entradas malformadas o intentos de bypass de autorización.

Code review Moderate

Revisión de código: marca cualquier código nuevo que maneje entrada desde esta superficie sin usar los helpers validados del framework.

CWE-655

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.

Request AI Swarm Pentest

Preguntas frecuentes

Frequently asked questions

¿Qué es CWE-655?

This weakness occurs when security features are so cumbersome or confusing that well-intentioned users feel forced to turn them off or find workarounds, defeating their purpose entirely.

¿Qué gravedad tiene CWE-655?

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-655?

MITRE no ha especificado plataformas afectadas para esta CWE — puede aplicar a la mayoría de los stacks de aplicaciones.

¿Cómo puedo prevenir CWE-655?

Where possible, perform human factors and usability studies to identify where your product's security mechanisms are difficult to use, and why. Make the security mechanism as seamless as possible, while also providing the user with sufficient details when a security decision produces unexpected results.

¿Cómo detecta y corrige Plexicus CWE-655?

El motor SAST de Plexicus detecta la firma de flujo de datos para CWE-655 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-655?

MITRE publica la definición canónica en https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/655.html. También puedes consultar la documentación de OWASP y NIST para guías relacionadas.

Debilidades relacionadas

Weaknesses related to CWE-655

CWE-657 Padre

Listo para validar lo que importa.

Plexicus es Proof-Driven AppSec: hallazgos validados, comprensión contextual y remediación revisada — anclada en evidencia, acotada contigo.

Reservar Pentest

Insufficient Psychological Acceptability

What is CWE-655?

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-655

Ruta del atacante paso a paso

Vulnerable pseudo

Secure pseudo

How to prevent CWE-655

How to detect CWE-655

Don't catalog this weakness. Prove it's reachable.

Frequently asked questions

Weaknesses related to CWE-655

Violation of Secure Design Principles

Improper Identifier for IP Block used in System-On-Chip (SOC)

Dependency on Vulnerable Third-Party Component

Execution with Unnecessary Privileges

Not Failing Securely ('Failing Open')

Unnecessary Complexity in Protection Mechanism (Not Using 'Economy of Mechanism')

Not Using Complete Mediation

Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization

Reliance on a Single Factor in a Security Decision

Further reading

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Sample evidence handover

Server-Side Request Forgery in `webhooks/receiver`