CWE-403 Details

CWE-403

Exposure of File Descriptor to Unintended Control Sphere ('File Descriptor Leak')
Draft
2006-07-19
00h00 +00:00
2025-12-11
00h00 +00:00
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Benachrichtigungen verwalten

Name: Exposure of File Descriptor to Unintended Control Sphere ('File Descriptor Leak')

A process does not close sensitive file descriptors before invoking a child process, which allows the child to perform unauthorized I/O operations using those descriptors.

CWE-Beschreibung

When a new process is forked or executed, the child process inherits any open file descriptors. When the child process has fewer privileges than the parent process, this might introduce a vulnerability if the child process can access the file descriptor but does not have the privileges to access the associated file.

Allgemeine Informationen

Einführungsmodi

Implementation : REALIZATION: This weakness is caused during implementation of an architectural security tactic.

Anwendbare Plattformen

Sprache

Name: C (Undetermined)
Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined)

Betriebssysteme

Class: Unix (Undetermined)

Häufige Konsequenzen

Bereich Auswirkung Wahrscheinlichkeit
Confidentiality
Integrity
Read Application Data, Modify Application Data

Beobachtete Beispiele

Referenzen Beschreibung

CVE-2003-0740

Server leaks a privileged file descriptor, allowing the server to be hijacked.

CVE-2004-1033

File descriptor leak allows read of restricted files.

CVE-2000-0094

Access to restricted resource using modified file descriptor for stderr.

CVE-2002-0638

Open file descriptor used as alternate channel in complex race condition.

CVE-2003-0489

Program does not fully drop privileges after creating a file descriptor, which allows access to the descriptor via a separate vulnerability.

CVE-2003-0937

User bypasses restrictions by obtaining a file descriptor then calling setuid program, which does not close the descriptor.

CVE-2004-2215

Terminal manager does not properly close file descriptors, allowing attackers to access terminals of other users.

CVE-2006-5397

Module opens a file for reading twice, allowing attackers to read files.

Erkennungsmethoden

Automated Static Analysis

Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.)
Wirksamkeit : High

Hinweise zur Schwachstellen-Zuordnung

Begründung : This CWE entry is at the Base level of abstraction, which is a preferred level of abstraction for mapping to the root causes of vulnerabilities.
Kommentar : Carefully read both the name and description to ensure that this mapping is an appropriate fit. Do not try to 'force' a mapping to a lower-level Base/Variant simply to comply with this preferred level of abstraction.

Referenzen

REF-392

File descriptors and setuid applications
Paul Roberts.
https://blogs.oracle.com/paulr/entry/file_descriptors_and_setuid_applications

REF-393

Introduction to Secure Coding Guide
Apple.
https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Security/Conceptual/SecureCodingGuide/Articles/AccessControl.html

Einreichung

Name Organisation Datum Veröffentlichungsdatum Version
PLOVER 2006-07-19 +00:00 2006-07-19 +00:00 Draft 3

Änderungen

Name Organisation Datum Kommentar
Eric Dalci Cigital 2008-07-01 +00:00 updated Time_of_Introduction
CWE Content Team MITRE 2008-09-08 +00:00 updated Applicable_Platforms, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
CWE Content Team MITRE 2008-11-24 +00:00 updated Affected_Resources, Observed_Examples, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
CWE Content Team MITRE 2011-03-29 +00:00 updated Name
CWE Content Team MITRE 2011-06-01 +00:00 updated Common_Consequences
CWE Content Team MITRE 2011-06-27 +00:00 updated Common_Consequences
CWE Content Team MITRE 2011-09-13 +00:00 updated Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
CWE Content Team MITRE 2012-05-11 +00:00 updated Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2013-02-21 +00:00 updated Alternate_Terms, Description, Name, Observed_Examples, References
CWE Content Team MITRE 2014-07-30 +00:00 updated Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
CWE Content Team MITRE 2017-11-08 +00:00 updated Affected_Resources, Applicable_Platforms, Modes_of_Introduction, References, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
CWE Content Team MITRE 2020-02-24 +00:00 updated Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2023-04-27 +00:00 updated References, Relationships, Time_of_Introduction
CWE Content Team MITRE 2023-06-29 +00:00 updated Mapping_Notes
CWE Content Team MITRE 2025-04-03 +00:00 updated Applicable_Platforms
CWE Content Team MITRE 2025-09-09 +00:00 updated Functional_Areas
CWE Content Team MITRE 2025-12-11 +00:00 updated Detection_Factors, Weakness_Ordinalities