CWE-200 refers to a software flaw where sensitive information—such as personal data, proprietary business details, or system configurations—is unintentionally exposed to individuals or entities without proper authorisation. This weakness typically results from poor implementation of access controls, inadequate data masking, or flawed logic in data-handling processes.
Deserialisation refers to the process of converting serialised data (a compact format of an object or data structure) back into its original form. While this operation is indispensable in modern software, it becomes a vulnerability when the deserialised data originates from an untrusted source.
When untrusted data is deserialised without validation, attackers can exploit the process to execute arbitrary code, manipulate application logic, or inject malicious payloads. CWE-502 encapsulates this weakness, highlighting its potential to compromise data integrity, confidentiality, and availability.
Improper Privilege Management, as classified under CWE-269, occurs when a software application improperly manages or enforces access control policies, allowing unauthorised users to perform restricted actions. This weakness can lead to severe consequences, such as data breaches, privilege escalation, and compromise of system integrity.
Improper Authentication occurs when a software application fails to properly verify the identity of a user or system attempting to gain access. This weakness enables unauthorised entities to bypass security measures and gain access to sensitive data or system functionalities.
CWE-77 refers to the improper neutralisation of special elements used in a command. These special elements, when inadequately sanitised, allow attackers to inject malicious commands that the system interprets and executes. This vulnerability commonly appears in applications that dynamically construct system commands based on user inputs.