CWE-653—Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization

Weakness Name

Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization

Description

The product does not properly compartmentalize or isolate functionality, processes, or resources that require different privilege levels, rights, or permissions.

When a weakness occurs in functionality that is accessible by lower-privileged users, then without strong boundaries, an attack might extend the scope of the damage to higher-privileged users.

Common Consequences

Scope:

Access Control

Impact:

Gain Privileges or Assume Identity, Bypass Protection Mechanism

Notes:

The exploitation of a weakness in low-privileged areas of the software can be leveraged to reach higher-privileged areas without having to overcome any additional obstacles.

Related Weaknesses

• CWE-657Violation of Secure Design Principles
• CWE-693Protection Mechanism Failure