Improper Enforcement of Behavioral WorkflowID: 841 | Date: (C)2012-05-14 (M)2022-10-10 |
Type: weakness | Status: INCOMPLETE |
Abstraction Type: Base |
Description
The software supports a session in which more than one behavior
must be performed by an actor, but it does not properly ensure that the actor
performs the behaviors in the required sequence.
Extended DescriptionBy performing actions in an unexpected order, or by omitting steps, an
attacker could manipulate the business logic of the software or cause it to
enter an invalid state. In some cases, this can also expose resultant
weaknesses.For example, a file-sharing protocol might require that an actor perform
separate steps to provide a username, then a password, before being able to
transfer files. If the file-sharing server accepts a password command
followed by a transfer command, without any username being provided, the
software might still perform the transfer.Note that this is different than CWE-696, which focuses on when the
software performs actions in the wrong sequence; this entry is closely
related, but it is focused on ensuring that the actor performs actions in
the correct sequence.Workflow-related behaviors include:Steps are performed in the expected order.Required steps are not omitted.Steps are not interrupted.Steps are performed in a timely fashion.
Applicable PlatformsNone
Related Attack Patterns
Common Consequences
Scope | Technical Impact | Notes |
---|
Other | Alter execution
logic | An attacker could cause the software to skip critical steps or perform
them in the wrong order, bypassing its intended business logic. This can
sometimes have security implications. |
Detection MethodsNone
Potential MitigationsNone
Relationships
Related CWE | Type | View | Chain |
---|
CWE-841 ChildOf CWE-438 | Category | CWE-699 | |
Demonstrative Examples (Details)
- This code is part of an FTP server and deals with various commands
that could be sent by a user. It is intended that a user must successfully
login before performing any other action such as retrieving or listing
files.
Observed Examples
- CVE-2011-0348 : Bypass of access/billing restrictions by sending traffic to an unrestricted destination before sending to a restricted destination.
- CVE-2007-3012 : Attacker can access portions of a restricted page by canceling out of a dialog.
- CVE-2009-5056 : Ticket-tracking system does not enforce a permission setting.
- CVE-2004-2164 : Shopping cart does not close a database connection when user restores a previous order, leading to connection exhaustion.
- CVE-2003-0777 : Chain: product does not properly handle dropped connections, leading to missing NULL terminator (CWE-170) and segmentation fault.
- CVE-2005-3327 : Chain: Authentication bypass by skipping the first startup step as required by the protocol.
- CVE-2004-0829 : Chain: File server crashes when sent a "find next" request without an initial "find first."
- CVE-2010-2620 : FTP server allows remote attackers to bypass authentication by sending (1) LIST, (2) RETR, (3) STOR, or other commands without performing the required login steps first.
- CVE-2005-3296 : FTP server allows remote attackers to list arbitrary directories as root by running the LIST command before logging in.
For more examples, refer to CVE relations in the bottom box.
White Box Definitions None
Black Box Definitions None
Taxynomy Mappings
Taxynomy | Id | Name | Fit |
---|
WASC | 40 | Insufficient Process Validation | |
References:
- Jeremiah Grossman .Business Logic Flaws and Yahoo Games. 2006-12-08. Published on October 2007.
- Jeremiah Grossman .Seven Business Logic Flaws That Put Your Website At
Risk. Published on October 2007.
- WhiteHat Security .Business Logic Flaws.
- WASC .Insufficient Process Validation.
- Rafal Los Prajakta Jagdale .Defying Logic: Theory, Design, and Implementation of Complex
Systems for Testing Application Logic. Published on 2011.
- Rafal Los .Real-Life Example of a 'Business Logic Defect' (Screen
Shots!). Published on 2011.
- Viktoria Felmetsger Ludovico Cavedon Christopher Kruegel Giovanni Vigna .Toward Automated Detection of Logic Vulnerabilities in Web
Applications. USENIX Security Symposium 2010. Published on August 2010.
- Faisal Nabi .Designing a Framework Method for Secure Business Application
Logic Integrity in e-Commerce Systems. International Journal of Network Security, Vol.12,
No.1. Section:'pages 29 - 41'. Published on 2011.