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CWE-620 Base Brouillon
Unverified Password Change
This vulnerability occurs when an application allows a user to set a new password without first verifying their identity through the old password or a secure secondary authentication method.
Définition
What is CWE-620?
This vulnerability occurs when an application allows a user to set a new password without first verifying their identity through the old password or a secure secondary authentication method.
This flaw creates a major security gap, as an attacker who can access the password change function (for example, through a predictable user ID or a cross-site request forgery attack) can reset another user's credentials. Without proper verification, the system implicitly trusts that the person requesting the change is the legitimate account holder, leading to a complete account takeover.
To prevent this, developers must always require proof of identity before processing a password reset. The standard practice is to require the user's current password for a voluntary change, or to use a time-limited, single-use token sent to a pre-verified email or phone for a recovery scenario. This ensures that control of the account is never relinquished based on a simple request alone.
Impact réel
Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-620
-
Web app allows remote attackers to change the passwords of arbitrary users without providing the original password, and possibly perform other unauthorized actions.
-
Web application password change utility doesn't check the original password.
Comment les attaquants l'exploitent
Parcours de l'attaquant étape par étape
- 1
Identifier un chemin de code qui traite des entrées non fiables sans validation.
- 2
Élaborer une charge utile qui exploite le comportement non sécurisé — injection, traversal, débordement ou abus de logique.
- 3
Délivrer la charge utile via une requête normale et observer la réaction de l'application.
- 4
Itérer jusqu'à ce que la réponse divulgue des données, exécute le code de l'attaquant ou élève les privilèges.
Exemple de code vulnérable
Vulnerable PHP
This code changes a user's password.
$user = $_GET['user'];
$pass = $_GET['pass'];
$checkpass = $_GET['checkpass'];
if ($pass == $checkpass) {
SetUserPassword($user, $pass);
} Exemple de code sécurisé
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.
Liste de contrôle de prévention
How to prevent CWE-620
- Architecture and Design When prompting for a password change, force the user to provide the original password in addition to the new password.
- Architecture and Design Do not use "forgotten password" functionality. But if you must, ensure that you are only providing information to the actual user, e.g. by using an email address or challenge question that the legitimate user already provided in the past; do not allow the current user to change this identity information until the correct password has been provided.
Signaux de détection
How to detect CWE-620
Exécuter des tests de sécurité applicative dynamique (DAST) contre le point de terminaison en ligne.
Surveiller les journaux runtime pour détecter des traces d'exception inhabituelles, des entrées malformées ou des tentatives de contournement d'autorisation.
Revue de code : signaler tout nouveau code qui traite les entrées de cette surface sans utiliser les helpers du framework validés.
CWE-620
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.
Questions fréquentes Qu'est-ce que CWE-620 ?
Quelle est la gravité de CWE-620 ?
Quels langages ou plateformes sont affectés par CWE-620 ?
Comment puis-je prévenir CWE-620 ?
Comment Plexicus détecte et corrige CWE-620 ?
Où puis-je en savoir plus sur CWE-620 ?
Frequently asked questions
Qu'est-ce que CWE-620 ?
This vulnerability occurs when an application allows a user to set a new password without first verifying their identity through the old password or a secure secondary authentication method.
Quelle est la gravité de CWE-620 ?
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-620 ?
MITRE n'a pas spécifié les plateformes affectées pour ce CWE — il peut s'appliquer à la plupart des stacks applicatives.
Comment puis-je prévenir CWE-620 ?
When prompting for a password change, force the user to provide the original password in addition to the new password. Do not use "forgotten password" functionality. But if you must, ensure that you are only providing information to the actual user, e.g. by using an email address or challenge question that the legitimate user already provided in the past; do not allow the current user to change this identity information until the correct password has been provided.
Comment Plexicus détecte et corrige CWE-620 ?
Le moteur SAST de Plexicus reconnaît la signature de flux de données de CWE-620 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-620 ?
MITRE publie la définition canonique à https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/620.html. Vous pouvez également consulter la documentation OWASP et NIST pour des conseils adjacents.
Faiblesses associées
Weaknesses related to CWE-620
CWE-1390 Parent
Weak Authentication
This vulnerability occurs when a system's login or identity verification process is too easy to bypass or fool. While it attempts to check…
CWE-1391 Frère
Use of Weak Credentials
This vulnerability occurs when a system relies on weak authentication credentials—like default passwords, hard-coded keys, or easily…
CWE-262 Frère
Not Using Password Aging
This vulnerability occurs when a system lacks password expiration policies, allowing users to keep the same password indefinitely.
CWE-263 Frère
Password Aging with Long Expiration
The system enforces password changes, but the time allowed between changes is excessively long, weakening security.
CWE-289 Frère
Authentication Bypass by Alternate Name
This vulnerability occurs when a system checks access based on a resource or user name, but fails to account for all the different names…
CWE-290 Frère
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 Frère
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 Frère
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 Frère
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…
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