CWE-610: Externally Controlled Reference to a Resource in Another Sphere
Learn about CWE-610 (Externally Controlled Reference to a Resource in Another Sphere), its security impact, exploitation methods, and prevention guidelines.
What is Externally Controlled Reference to a Resource in Another Sphere?
• Overview: This vulnerability occurs when a software application uses a reference or name controlled by an external entity to access a resource outside the application's intended control boundary. This can lead to unauthorized access or manipulation of resources.
• Exploitation Methods:
- Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by providing malicious input that redirects the application to access a resource not meant to be controlled or accessed.
- Common attack patterns include manipulating URLs, file paths, or identifiers to point to unauthorized resources.
• Security Impact:
- Direct consequences include unauthorized access to sensitive data or system resources.
- Potential cascading effects include data breaches, service disruptions, and further exploitation of connected systems.
- Business impact can be severe, leading to loss of customer trust, legal liabilities, and financial penalties.
• Prevention Guidelines:
- Specific code-level fixes include validating and sanitizing all external inputs that reference resources.
- Security best practices involve implementing strict access controls and using whitelisting to limit valid resource references.
- Recommended tools and frameworks include static code analysis tools to identify vulnerabilities and frameworks that provide built-in resource access controls.
Technical Details
Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified
Affected Languages: Not specified
Affected Technologies: Not specified