CWE-267 Base Incomplete

Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions

This vulnerability occurs when a system grants a user, role, or process a specific permission that can be misused to perform dangerous, unintended actions. The permission itself is correctly…

Definition

What is CWE-267?

This vulnerability occurs when a system grants a user, role, or process a specific permission that can be misused to perform dangerous, unintended actions. The permission itself is correctly assigned, but its scope is too broad or allows for unsafe operations.
At its core, this weakness is about over-privilege. A system might correctly identify that a user needs to edit files, but if the associated 'edit' permission also allows them to overwrite critical system files or execute code, the privilege is dangerously defined. Developers often make this mistake by using coarse-grained permissions that bundle safe and unsafe actions together, or by not considering all the destructive ways a seemingly benign right could be exploited. To prevent this, implement the principle of least privilege by defining permissions based on specific, safe actions rather than broad capabilities. Audit your authorization logic to ensure each granted right cannot be chained or used in an unexpected context to cause harm. Security testing should explicitly check if assigned privileges can be leveraged to bypass security controls or perform actions outside the user's intended role.
Real-world impact

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-267

  • CVE-2002-1981

    Roles have access to dangerous procedures (Accessible entities).

  • CVE-2002-1671

    Untrusted object/method gets access to clipboard (Accessible entities).

  • CVE-2004-2204

    Gain privileges using functions/tags that should be restricted (Accessible entities).

  • CVE-2000-0315

    Traceroute program allows unprivileged users to modify source address of packet (Accessible entities).

  • CVE-2004-0380

    Bypass domain restrictions using a particular file that references unsafe URI schemes (Accessible entities).

  • CVE-2002-1154

    Script does not restrict access to an update command, leading to resultant disk consumption and filled error logs (Accessible entities).

  • CVE-2002-1145

    "public" database user can use stored procedure to modify data controlled by the database owner (Unsafe privileged actions).

  • CVE-2000-0506

    User with capability can prevent setuid program from dropping privileges (Unsafe privileged actions).

How attackers exploit it

Step-by-step attacker path

  1. 1

    Identify a code path that handles untrusted input without validation.

  2. 2

    Craft a payload that exercises the unsafe behavior — injection, traversal, overflow, or logic abuse.

  3. 3

    Deliver the payload through a normal request and observe the application's reaction.

  4. 4

    Iterate until the response leaks data, executes attacker code, or escalates privileges.

Vulnerable code example

Vulnerable Java

This code intends to allow only Administrators to print debug information about a system.

Vulnerable Java 
public enum Roles {
  	ADMIN,USER,GUEST
  }
  public void printDebugInfo(User requestingUser){
  		if(isAuthenticated(requestingUser)){
  				switch(requestingUser.role){
  						case GUEST:
  							System.out.println("You are not authorized to perform this command");
  							break;
  						default:
  							System.out.println(currentDebugState());
  							break;
  				}
  		}
  		else{
  			System.out.println("You must be logged in to perform this command");
  		}
  }
Secure code example

Secure pseudo

Secure pseudo 
// Validate, sanitize, or use a safe API before reaching the sink.
function handleRequest(input) {
  const safe = validateAndEscape(input);
  return executeWithGuards(safe);
}
What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.
Prevention checklist

How to prevent CWE-267

  • Architecture and Design / Operation Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
  • Architecture and Design / Operation Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks [REF-76]. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.
Detection signals

How to detect CWE-267

SAST High

Run static analysis (SAST) on the codebase looking for the unsafe pattern in the data flow.

DAST Moderate

Run dynamic application security testing against the live endpoint.

Runtime Moderate

Watch runtime logs for unusual exception traces, malformed input, or authorization bypass attempts.

Code review Moderate

Code review: flag any new code that handles input from this surface without using the validated framework helpers.

Plexicus auto-fix

Plexicus auto-detects CWE-267 and opens a fix PR in under 60 seconds.

Codex Remedium scans every commit, identifies this exact weakness, and ships a reviewer-ready pull request with the patch. No tickets. No hand-offs.

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Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What is CWE-267?

This vulnerability occurs when a system grants a user, role, or process a specific permission that can be misused to perform dangerous, unintended actions. The permission itself is correctly assigned, but its scope is too broad or allows for unsafe operations.

How serious is CWE-267?

MITRE has not published a likelihood-of-exploit rating for this weakness. Treat it as medium-impact until your threat model proves otherwise.

What languages or platforms are affected by CWE-267?

MITRE has not specified affected platforms for this CWE — it can apply across most application stacks.

How can I prevent CWE-267?

Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software. Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks [REF-76]. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need…

How does Plexicus detect and fix CWE-267?

Plexicus's SAST engine matches the data-flow signature for CWE-267 on every commit. When a match is found, our Codex Remedium agent opens a fix PR with the corrected code, tests, and a one-line summary for the reviewer.

Where can I learn more about CWE-267?

MITRE publishes the canonical definition at https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/267.html. You can also reference OWASP and NIST documentation for adjacent guidance.

Related weaknesses

Weaknesses related to CWE-267

CWE-269 Parent

Improper Privilege Management

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to correctly manage user permissions, allowing someone to perform actions or access…

CWE-250 Sibling

Execution with Unnecessary Privileges

This vulnerability occurs when software runs with higher permissions than it actually needs to perform its tasks. This excessive privilege…

CWE-266 Sibling

Incorrect Privilege Assignment

This vulnerability occurs when a system mistakenly grants a user, process, or entity a specific permission or privilege they should not…

CWE-268 Sibling

Privilege Chaining

Privilege chaining occurs when an attacker combines two separate permissions or capabilities, neither of which is dangerous on its own, to…

CWE-270 Sibling

Privilege Context Switching Error

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly manage user permissions while moving between different security contexts,…

CWE-271 Sibling

Privilege Dropping / Lowering Errors

This vulnerability occurs when a system or process fails to reduce its elevated permissions before transferring control of a resource to a…

CWE-274 Sibling

Improper Handling of Insufficient Privileges

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly manage situations where it lacks the necessary permissions to execute an…

CWE-648 Sibling

Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs

This vulnerability occurs when software incorrectly uses functions that require special permissions. Attackers can exploit these mistakes…

CWE-623 Child

Unsafe ActiveX Control Marked Safe For Scripting

This vulnerability occurs when an ActiveX control designed for limited use is incorrectly flagged as safe for scripting, allowing web…

Resources

Further reading

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