CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions

How it's found

Incorrect Default Permissions is typically found by tracing untrusted input from where it enters the system to the point where it is used without the check or neutralization this weakness describes, combining manual code review with dynamic testing.

Consequences

• Read Application Data, Modify Application Data

Mitigations

• Architecture and Design/Operation: The architecture needs to access and modification attributes for files to only those users who actually require those actions.
• Architecture and Design: Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area. Ensure that appropriate compartmentalization is built into the system design, and the compartmentalization allows for and reinforces privilege separation functionality. Architects and designers should rely on the principle of least privilege to decide the appropriate time to use privileges and the time to drop privileges.

How TurboPentest tests for this (white-box)

This weakness (Incorrect Default Permissions) is caught by white-box static analysis when you connect a GitHub repo: IntegSec's Opengrep SAST rule pack carries 1 rule for it, flagging the issue directly in your source code as part of the pentest.

• Permissive File Permissions

Frequently asked questions

Related CWEs

• Class weakness
  CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource