CWE-15 Base Incomplet

External Control of System or Configuration Setting

This vulnerability occurs when an application allows users to directly modify critical system settings or configuration values from an external source.

Définition

What is CWE-15?

This vulnerability occurs when an application allows users to directly modify critical system settings or configuration values from an external source.

When system settings like file paths, feature flags, or environment variables can be controlled by an external user, it breaks the fundamental trust between the application and its configuration. Attackers can exploit this to disrupt services, bypass security controls, or force the application to execute unintended and potentially malicious actions, leading to data loss or system compromise. Preventing this requires rigorous validation of all configuration inputs and enforcing strict separation between user data and system controls. While SAST tools can catch the pattern, Plexicus uses AI to analyze the data flow and suggest the precise code fix—such as implementing allowlists or moving configurations to secure, internal sources—saving hours of manual remediation work across your codebase.

Impact réel

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-15

Aucune référence CVE publique n'est liée à ce CWE dans le catalogue MITRE pour le moment.

Comment les attaquants l'exploitent

Parcours de l'attaquant étape par étape

1
The following C code accepts a number as one of its command line parameters and sets it as the host ID of the current machine.
2
Although a process must be privileged to successfully invoke sethostid(), unprivileged users may be able to invoke the program. The code in this example allows user input to directly control the value of a system setting. If an attacker provides a malicious value for host ID, the attacker can misidentify the affected machine on the network or cause other unintended behavior.
3
The following Java code snippet reads a string from an HttpServletRequest and sets it as the active catalog for a database Connection.
4
In this example, an attacker could cause an error by providing a nonexistent catalog name or connect to an unauthorized portion of the database.

Exemple de code vulnérable

Vulnerable C

The following C code accepts a number as one of its command line parameters and sets it as the host ID of the current machine.

Vulnérable C

...
  sethostid(argv[1]);
  ...

Exemple de code sécurisé

Secure pseudo

Sécurisé 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.

Liste de contrôle de prévention

How to prevent CWE-15

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.
Implementation / Architecture and Design Because setting manipulation covers a diverse set of functions, any attempt at illustrating it will inevitably be incomplete. Rather than searching for a tight-knit relationship between the functions addressed in the setting manipulation category, take a step back and consider the sorts of system values that an attacker should not be allowed to control.
Implementation / Architecture and Design In general, do not allow user-provided or otherwise untrusted data to control sensitive values. The leverage that an attacker gains by controlling these values is not always immediately obvious, but do not underestimate the creativity of the attacker.

Signaux de détection

How to detect CWE-15

Automated Static Analysis High

Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.)

CWE-15

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.

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Questions fréquentes

Frequently asked questions

Qu'est-ce que CWE-15 ?

This vulnerability occurs when an application allows users to directly modify critical system settings or configuration values from an external source.

Quelle est la gravité de CWE-15 ?

MITRE n'a pas publié de note de probabilité d'exploitation pour cette faiblesse. Traitez-la comme un impact moyen jusqu'à ce que votre modèle de menace prouve le contraire.

Quels langages ou plateformes sont affectés par CWE-15 ?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: Not Technology-Specific, ICS/OT.

Comment puis-je prévenir CWE-15 ?

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…

Comment Plexicus détecte et corrige CWE-15 ?

Le moteur SAST de Plexicus reconnaît la signature de flux de données de CWE-15 à chaque commit. Lorsqu'une correspondance est trouvée, notre agent Codex Remedium ouvre une PR de correction avec le code corrigé, les tests et un résumé d'une ligne pour le relecteur.

Où puis-je en savoir plus sur CWE-15 ?

MITRE publie la définition canonique à https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/15.html. Vous pouvez également consulter la documentation OWASP et NIST pour des conseils adjacents.

Faiblesses associées

Weaknesses related to CWE-15

CWE-642 Parent

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Réserver un Pentest

External Control of System or Configuration Setting

What is CWE-15?

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-15

Parcours de l'attaquant étape par étape

Vulnerable C

Secure pseudo

How to prevent CWE-15

How to detect CWE-15

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

Frequently asked questions

Weaknesses related to CWE-15

External Control of Critical State Data

Untrusted Search Path

External Control of Assumed-Immutable Web Parameter

Reliance on Cookies without Validation and Integrity Checking

External Control of File Name or Path

Further reading

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Sample evidence handover

Server-Side Request Forgery in `webhooks/receiver`