CWE-552 Base Brouillon

Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties

This vulnerability occurs when an application exposes files or directories to users who shouldn't have access to them.

Définition

What is CWE-552?

This vulnerability occurs when an application exposes files or directories to users who shouldn't have access to them.

This commonly happens in web servers, FTP servers, or similar systems where files are stored under a publicly accessible root directory. If the application doesn't implement proper access controls, sensitive files placed in or under this directory can be requested and retrieved by unauthorized users. The same risk applies when applications package files into archives (like ZIP or tar files) without first filtering out confidential documents from the included directories. In modern cloud and container environments, this flaw often appears as misconfigured storage buckets or file shares that are open to public or anonymous access. Managing this at scale is difficult; an ASPM like Plexicus can help you track and remediate these configuration flaws across your entire stack, from code to cloud.

Impact réel

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-552

CVE-2005-1835

Data file under web root.

Comment les attaquants l'exploitent

Parcours de l'attaquant étape par étape

1
The following Azure command updates the settings for a storage account:
2
However, "Allow Blob Public Access" is set to true, meaning that anonymous/public users can access blobs.
3
The command could be modified to disable "Allow Blob Public Access" by setting it to false.
4
The following Google Cloud Storage command gets the settings for a storage account named 'BUCKET_NAME':
5
Suppose the command returns the following result:

Exemple de code vulnérable

Vulnerable Shell

The following Azure command updates the settings for a storage account:

Vulnérable Shell

az storage account update --name <storage-account> --resource-group <resource-group> --allow-blob-public-access true

Exemple de code sécurisé

Secure Shell

The command could be modified to disable "Allow Blob Public Access" by setting it to false.

Sécurisé Shell

az storage account update --name <storage-account> --resource-group <resource-group> --allow-blob-public-access false

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-552

Implementation / System Configuration / Operation When storing data in the cloud (e.g., S3 buckets, Azure blobs, Google Cloud Storage, etc.), use the provider's controls to disable public access.

Signaux de détection

How to detect CWE-552

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-552

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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-552 ?

This vulnerability occurs when an application exposes files or directories to users who shouldn't have access to them.

Quelle est la gravité de CWE-552 ?

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-552 ?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: Not Technology-Specific, Cloud Computing.

Comment puis-je prévenir CWE-552 ?

When storing data in the cloud (e.g., S3 buckets, Azure blobs, Google Cloud Storage, etc.), use the provider's controls to disable public access.

Comment Plexicus détecte et corrige CWE-552 ?

Le moteur SAST de Plexicus reconnaît la signature de flux de données de CWE-552 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-552 ?

MITRE publie la définition canonique à https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/552.html. Vous pouvez également consulter la documentation OWASP et NIST pour des conseils adjacents.

Faiblesses associées

Weaknesses related to CWE-552

CWE-668 Parent

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Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties

What is CWE-552?

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-552

Parcours de l'attaquant étape par étape

Vulnerable Shell

Secure Shell

How to prevent CWE-552

How to detect CWE-552

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

Frequently asked questions

Weaknesses related to CWE-552

Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere

Improper Isolation of Shared Resources on System-on-a-Chip (SoC)

Assumed-Immutable Data is Stored in Writable Memory

Binding to an Unrestricted IP Address

Improper Isolation of Shared Resources in Network On Chip (NoC)

Use of Externally-Controlled Format String

Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

Passing Mutable Objects to an Untrusted Method

Returning a Mutable Object to an Untrusted Caller

Further reading

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Sample evidence handover

Server-Side Request Forgery in `webhooks/receiver`