CWE-286: Incorrect User Management

What is Incorrect User Management?

• Overview: Incorrect User Management (CWE-286) occurs when a software application fails to properly manage user permissions and group assignments. This can result in users having inappropriate access to sensitive data or functionalities due to incorrect group or permission assignments.

• Exploitation Methods:

• Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by escalating privileges through misconfigured user accounts.
• Common attack patterns involve testing various accounts to identify misassigned permissions or leveraging improperly configured user groups to access restricted resources.

• Security Impact:

• Direct consequences include unauthorized access to sensitive data, functionalities, or systems.
• Potential cascading effects involve data breaches, information leakage, or system compromise.
• Business impact can include legal liabilities, loss of customer trust, and financial losses due to data breaches or operational disruptions.

• Prevention Guidelines:

• Implement strict role-based access control (RBAC) to ensure users only have access to what they need.
• Regularly audit and review user permissions and group assignments to identify and rectify misconfigurations.
• Use automated tools to enforce and verify correct user management policies and consider frameworks that support robust access controls.

Corgea can automatically detect and fix Incorrect User Management in your codebase. [Try Corgea free today](https://corgea.app).

Technical Details

Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified

Affected Languages: Not Language-Specific

Affected Technologies: Not specified

Vulnerable Code Example

Python Example

class UserManager:
    def __init__(self):
        self.users = {"admin": "admin123"}  # Hardcoded admin credentials

    def authenticate(self, username, password):
        # Simple authentication check
        if username in self.users and self.users[username] == password:
            return True
        return False

# Usage
manager = UserManager()
is_authenticated = manager.authenticate("admin", "admin123")
print("Authenticated:", is_authenticated)

Explanation of the Vulnerability:

• Hardcoded Credentials: The code contains hardcoded credentials (admin: admin123). This is a significant security risk as anyone with access to the source code can easily discover these credentials and gain unauthorized access.
• Plaintext Passwords: Storing passwords in plaintext makes them vulnerable to exposure through source code leaks or unauthorized access.
• Lack of Secure Password Handling: The code uses a simple equality check for authentication, which does not protect against timing attacks or ensure secure password handling.

How to fix Incorrect User Management?

To address these vulnerabilities, you should implement secure user management practices:

1. Externalize Credentials: Store credentials outside of the source code using environment variables or secure configuration files.
2. Hash Passwords: Use a strong, industry-standard hashing algorithm (e.g., bcrypt) to store password hashes instead of plaintext passwords.
3. Utilize Authentication Libraries: Use established libraries to handle authentication securely.
4. Secure Input Handling: Ensure user inputs are handled securely to prevent injection and other attacks.

Fixed Code Example

import os
import bcrypt

class UserManager:
    def __init__(self):
        # Load admin password hash from environment variables
        admin_password_hash = os.getenv("ADMIN_PASSWORD_HASH")
        if not admin_password_hash:
            raise ValueError("Admin password hash not set in environment variables")
        self.users = {"admin": admin_password_hash}

    def authenticate(self, username, password):
        if username in self.users:
            # Use bcrypt to securely compare password hash
            stored_hash = self.users[username].encode('utf-8')
            return bcrypt.checkpw(password.encode('utf-8'), stored_hash)
        return False

# Usage
manager = UserManager()
input_password = "admin123"  # This should be securely obtained from user input
is_authenticated = manager.authenticate("admin", input_password)
print("Authenticated:", is_authenticated)

Explanation of the Fix:

• Externalized Credentials: The admin password hash is retrieved from an environment variable (ADMIN_PASSWORD_HASH), ensuring it is not hardcoded in the source code.
• Secure Password Storage: Passwords are stored as bcrypt hashes, providing strong security against password cracking.
• Secure Hash Comparison: bcrypt.checkpw is used to compare the input password with the stored hash securely, mitigating timing attacks.
• Environment Configuration: Ensure that the ADMIN_PASSWORD_HASH environment variable is set to a bcrypt hash of the desired password, managed securely outside the application source code.