CWE-552: Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties
Description
The product makes files or directories accessible to unauthorized actors, even though they should not be.
Web servers, FTP servers, and similar servers may store a set of files underneath a root directory that is accessible to the server's users. Applications may store sensitive files underneath this root without also using access control to limit which users may request those files, if any. Alternately, an application might package multiple files or directories into an archive file (e.g., ZIP or tar), but the application might not exclude sensitive files that are underneath those directories. In cloud technologies and containers, this weakness might present itself in the form of misconfigured storage accounts that can be read or written by a public or anonymous user.
- Abstraction
- BaseA weakness specific enough to point to detection and prevention methods.
- Likelihood of exploit
- Not rated by MITRE
- Status
- Draft
Common consequences
- ConfidentialityIntegrity
Read Files or Directories; Modify Files or Directories
Potential mitigations
- ImplementationSystem ConfigurationOperation
When storing data in the cloud (e.g., S3 buckets, Azure blobs, Google Cloud Storage, etc.), use the provider's controls to disable public access.
Related weaknesses
Child weaknesses
- CWE-219Storage of File with Sensitive Data Under Web Root
- CWE-220Storage of File With Sensitive Data Under FTP Root
- CWE-527Exposure of Version-Control Repository to an Unauthorized Control Sphere
- CWE-528Exposure of Core Dump File to an Unauthorized Control Sphere
- CWE-529Exposure of Access Control List Files to an Unauthorized Control Sphere
- CWE-530Exposure of Backup File to an Unauthorized Control Sphere
- CWE-539Use of Persistent Cookies Containing Sensitive Information
- CWE-553Command Shell in Externally Accessible Directory