CWE-521 Detail

CWE-521

Weak Password Requirements
Draft
2006-07-19
00h00 +00:00
2025-12-11
00h00 +00:00
CWE Mitre.org
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Naam: Weak Password Requirements

The product does not require that users should have strong passwords.

Algemene informatie

Achtergrondinformatie

Introductiemodi

Architecture and Design : COMMISSION: This weakness refers to an incorrect design related to an architectural security tactic.
Implementation : Not enforcing the password policy stated in a products design can allow users to create passwords that do not provide the necessary level of protection.

Toepasselijke platforms

Taal

Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined)

Technologieën

Class: Not Technology-Specific (Undetermined)

Veelvoorkomende gevolgen

Bereik Impact Waarschijnlijkheid
Access ControlGain Privileges or Assume Identity

Note: An attacker could easily guess user passwords and gain access user accounts.

Waargenomen voorbeelden

Referenties Beschrijving

CVE-2020-4574

key server application does not require strong passwords

Mogelijke risicobeperkingen

Phases : Architecture and Design
Phases : Architecture and Design
Consider a second authentication factor beyond the password, which prevents the password from being a single point of failure. See CWE-308 for further information.
Phases : Implementation
Consider implementing a password complexity meter to inform users when a chosen password meets the required attributes.
Phases : Implementation
Previously, "password expiration" was widely advocated as a defense-in-depth approach to minimize the risk of weak passwords, and it has become a common practice. Password expiration requires a password to be changed within a fixed time window (such as every 90 days). However, this approach has significant limitations in the current threat landscape, and its utility has been reduced in light of the adoption of related protection mechanisms (such as password complexity and computational effort), along with the recognition that regular password changes often caused users to generate more predictable passwords. As a result, this is now a Discouraged Common Practice [REF-1488] [REF-1489], especially as the sole factor in protecting passwords. It is still strongly encouraged to force password changes in case of evidence of compromise, but this is not the same as a forced "expiration" on an arbitrary time frame.

Detectiemethoden

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.)
Effectiviteit : High

Notities kwetsbaarheidsmapping

Rechtvaardiging : 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.
Opmerking : 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.

Gerelateerde aanvalspatronen

CAPEC-ID Naam aanvalspatroon
CAPEC-112 Brute Force
In this attack, some asset (information, functionality, identity, etc.) is protected by a finite secret value. The attacker attempts to gain access to this asset by using trial-and-error to exhaustively explore all the possible secret values in the hope of finding the secret (or a value that is functionally equivalent) that will unlock the asset.
CAPEC-16 Dictionary-based Password Attack
CAPEC-49 Password Brute Forcing
An adversary tries every possible value for a password until they succeed. A brute force attack, if feasible computationally, will always be successful because it will essentially go through all possible passwords given the alphabet used (lower case letters, upper case letters, numbers, symbols, etc.) and the maximum length of the password.
CAPEC-509 Kerberoasting
Through the exploitation of how service accounts leverage Kerberos authentication with Service Principal Names (SPNs), the adversary obtains and subsequently cracks the hashed credentials of a service account target to exploit its privileges. The Kerberos authentication protocol centers around a ticketing system which is used to request/grant access to services and to then access the requested services. As an authenticated user, the adversary may request Active Directory and obtain a service ticket with portions encrypted via RC4 with the private key of the authenticated account. By extracting the local ticket and saving it disk, the adversary can brute force the hashed value to reveal the target account credentials.
CAPEC-55 Rainbow Table Password Cracking
An attacker gets access to the database table where hashes of passwords are stored. They then use a rainbow table of pre-computed hash chains to attempt to look up the original password. Once the original password corresponding to the hash is obtained, the attacker uses the original password to gain access to the system.
CAPEC-555 Remote Services with Stolen Credentials
This pattern of attack involves an adversary that uses stolen credentials to leverage remote services such as RDP, telnet, SSH, and VNC to log into a system. Once access is gained, any number of malicious activities could be performed.
CAPEC-561 Windows Admin Shares with Stolen Credentials
An adversary guesses or obtains (i.e. steals or purchases) legitimate Windows administrator credentials (e.g. userID/password) to access Windows Admin Shares on a local machine or within a Windows domain.
CAPEC-565 Password Spraying
CAPEC-70 Try Common or Default Usernames and Passwords
An adversary may try certain common or default usernames and passwords to gain access into the system and perform unauthorized actions. An adversary may try an intelligent brute force using empty passwords, known vendor default credentials, as well as a dictionary of common usernames and passwords. Many vendor products come preconfigured with default (and thus well-known) usernames and passwords that should be deleted prior to usage in a production environment. It is a common mistake to forget to remove these default login credentials. Another problem is that users would pick very simple (common) passwords (e.g. "secret" or "password") that make it easier for the attacker to gain access to the system compared to using a brute force attack or even a dictionary attack using a full dictionary.

Referenties

REF-44

24 Deadly Sins of Software Security
Michael Howard, David LeBlanc, John Viega.

REF-1053

Digital Identity Guidelines (SP 800-63B)
NIST.
https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-63b.pdf

REF-1488

Digital Identity Guidelines (SP 800-63B-4)
NIST.
https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-63B-4.pdf

REF-1489

Password Guidance: Simplifying Your Approach
National Cyber Security Centre.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a806bb9e5274a2e87db9b6a/Password_guidance_-_simplifying_your_approach.pdf

Indiening

Naam Organisatie Datum Releasedatum Version
Anonymous Tool Vendor (under NDA) 2006-07-19 +00:00 2006-07-19 +00:00 Draft 3

Wijzigingen

Naam Organisatie Datum Opmerking
Eric Dalci Cigital 2008-07-01 +00:00 updated Potential_Mitigations, Time_of_Introduction
Veracode 2008-08-15 +00:00 Suggested OWASP Top Ten 2004 mapping
CWE Content Team MITRE 2008-09-08 +00:00 updated Description, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
CWE Content Team MITRE 2009-05-27 +00:00 updated Related_Attack_Patterns
CWE Content Team MITRE 2011-03-29 +00:00 updated Potential_Mitigations, Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2011-06-01 +00:00 updated Common_Consequences
CWE Content Team MITRE 2012-05-11 +00:00 updated Common_Consequences, References, Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2014-07-30 +00:00 updated Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2017-11-08 +00:00 updated Modes_of_Introduction, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
CWE Content Team MITRE 2019-06-20 +00:00 updated Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2020-02-24 +00:00 updated Applicable_Platforms, Description, Modes_of_Introduction, Potential_Mitigations, References
CWE Content Team MITRE 2020-08-20 +00:00 updated Related_Attack_Patterns
CWE Content Team MITRE 2021-10-28 +00:00 updated Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2022-10-13 +00:00 updated Observed_Examples, Potential_Mitigations, Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2023-04-27 +00:00 updated Detection_Factors, Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2023-06-29 +00:00 updated Mapping_Notes
CWE Content Team MITRE 2025-09-09 +00:00 updated Potential_Mitigations, References
CWE Content Team MITRE 2025-12-11 +00:00 updated Background_Details, Description, Diagram, Potential_Mitigations, Relationships, Weakness_Ordinalities
De informatie die op CVE Find wordt gepresenteerd, is afkomstig van verschillende zorgvuldig geselecteerde referentiebronnen. CVE-gegevens worden geleverd door MITRE Corporation en de National Vulnerability Database (NVD). De Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV)-catalogus is afkomstig van de Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), terwijl EPSS-scores afkomstig zijn van FIRST.org. Daarnaast worden gegevens over softwarezwakheden (CWE) en veelvoorkomende aanvalspatronen (CAPEC) bijgehouden door MITRE Corporation, en informatie over hardware- en softwareconfiguraties (CPE) wordt geleverd door de NVD.