CWE-603—Use of Client-Side Authentication

Weakness Name

Use of Client-Side Authentication

Description

A client/server product performs authentication within client code but not in server code, allowing server-side authentication to be bypassed via a modified client that omits the authentication check.

Client-side authentication is extremely weak and may be breached easily. Any attacker may read the source code and reverse-engineer the authentication mechanism to access parts of the application which would otherwise be protected.

Common Consequences

Scope:

Access Control

Impact:

Bypass Protection Mechanism, Gain Privileges or Assume Identity

Related Weaknesses

• CWE-300Channel Accessible by Non-Endpoint
• CWE-602Client-Side Enforcement of Server-Side SecurityMedium
• CWE-656Reliance on Security Through Obscurity
• CWE-1390Weak Authentication