CWE-565βReliance on Cookies without Validation and Integrity Checking
PUBLISHEDweakness record
released 2006-07-19 Β· last modified 2025-12-11
Metadata
- CWE ID:
- CWE-565
- Abstraction:
- Base
- Structure:
- Simple
- Status:
- Incomplete
- Release Date:
- 2006-07-19
- Latest Modification Date:
- 2025-12-11
Weakness Name
Reliance on Cookies without Validation and Integrity Checking
Description
The product relies on the existence or values of cookies when performing security-critical operations, but it does not properly ensure that the setting is valid for the associated user.
Common Consequences
- Scope:
- Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
- Impact:
- Modify Application Data, Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
- Notes:
- Attackers can easily modify cookies, within the browser or by implementing the client-side code outside of the browser. Reliance on cookies without detailed validation and integrity checking can allow attackers to bypass authentication, conduct injection attacks such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting, or otherwise modify inputs in unexpected ways.
- Scope:
- Access Control
- Impact:
- Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
- Notes:
- It is dangerous to use cookies to set a user's privileges. The cookie can be manipulated to escalate an attacker's privileges to an administrative level.
