CWE-471—Modification of Assumed-Immutable Data (MAID)

Weakness Name

Modification of Assumed-Immutable Data (MAID)

Description

The product does not properly protect an assumed-immutable element from being modified by an attacker.

This occurs when a particular input is critical enough to the functioning of the application that it should not be modifiable at all, but it is. Certain resources are often assumed to be immutable when they are not, such as hidden form fields in web applications, cookies, and reverse DNS lookups.

Common Consequences

Scope:

Integrity

Impact:

Modify Application Data

Notes:

Common data types that are attacked are environment variables, web application parameters, and HTTP headers.

Scope:

Integrity

Impact:

Unexpected State

Related Weaknesses

• CWE-664Improper Control of a Resource Through its Lifetime