CWE-273βImproper Check for Dropped Privileges
PUBLISHEDweakness recordMedium
released 2006-07-19 Β· last modified 2023-06-29
Metadata
- CWE ID:
- CWE-273
- Abstraction:
- Base
- Structure:
- Simple
- Status:
- Incomplete
- Release Date:
- 2006-07-19
- Latest Modification Date:
- 2023-06-29
Weakness Name
Improper Check for Dropped Privileges
Description
The product attempts to drop privileges but does not check or incorrectly checks to see if the drop succeeded.
If the drop fails, the product will continue to run with the raised privileges, which might provide additional access to unprivileged users.
Common Consequences
- Scope:
- Access Control
- Impact:
- Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
- Notes:
- If privileges are not dropped, neither are access rights of the user. Often these rights can be prevented from being dropped.
- Scope:
- Access Control, Non-Repudiation
- Impact:
- Gain Privileges or Assume Identity, Hide Activities
- Notes:
- If privileges are not dropped, in some cases the system may record actions as the user which is being impersonated rather than the impersonator.