No detection method information available for this CWE.
Code Examples & CVEs
Demonstrative Examples
This code temporarily raises the program's privileges to allow creation of a new user folder.
While the program only raises its privilege level to create the folder and immediately lowers it again, if the call to os.mkdir() throws an exception, the call to lowerPrivileges() will not occur. As a result, the program is indefinitely operating in a raised privilege state, possibly allowing further exploitation to occur.
BadPython
def makeNewUserDir(username): if invalidUsername(username): #avoid CWE-22 and CWE-78 print('Usernames cannot contain invalid characters')return False try:raisePrivileges()os.mkdir('/home/' + username)lowerPrivileges() except OSError:print('Unable to create new user directory for user:' + username)return False return True
The following example demonstrates the weakness.
BadC
seteuid(0); /* do some stuff */ seteuid(getuid());
The following example demonstrates the weakness.
BadJava
AccessController.doPrivileged(new PrivilegedAction() { public Object run() { // privileged code goes here, for example: System.loadLibrary("awt");return null; // nothing to return }
This code intends to allow only Administrators to print debug information about a system.
While the intention was to only allow Administrators to print the debug information, the code as written only excludes those with the role of "GUEST". Someone with the role of "ADMIN" or "USER" will be allowed access, which goes against the original intent. An attacker may be able to use this debug information to craft an attack on the system.
BadJava
public enum Roles {ADMIN,USER,GUEST} public void printDebugInfo(User requestingUser){ if(isAuthenticated(requestingUser)){ switch(requestingUser.role){ case GUEST:System.out.println("You are not authorized to perform this command");break; default:System.out.println(currentDebugState());break; } }else{System.out.println("You must be logged in to perform this command");} }
This code allows someone with the role of "ADMIN" or "OPERATOR" to reset a user's password. The role of "OPERATOR" is intended to have less privileges than an "ADMIN", but still be able to help users with small issues such as forgotten passwords.
This code does not check the role of the user whose password is being reset. It is possible for an Operator to gain Admin privileges by resetting the password of an Admin account and taking control of that account.
BadJava
public enum Roles {ADMIN,OPERATOR,USER,GUEST} public void resetPassword(User requestingUser, User user, String password ){ if(isAuthenticated(requestingUser)){ switch(requestingUser.role){ case GUEST:System.out.println("You are not authorized to perform this command");break; case USER:System.out.println("You are not authorized to perform this command");break; default:setPassword(user,password);break;} } else{System.out.println("You must be logged in to perform this command");} }
FTP client program on a certain OS runs with setuid privileges and has a buffer overflow. Most clients do not need extra privileges, so an overflow is not a vulnerability for those clients.
Composite: application running with high privileges (CWE-250) allows user to specify a restricted file to process, which generates a parsing error that leaks the contents of the file (CWE-209).
Additional facts reviewed against primary or authoritative security sources.
Combine analysis methods around the CWE-269 trust boundary
MITRE identifies automated static analysis as applicable detection approaches. Use them to trace where identities gain, retain, delegate, and drop privileges, and compare every effective grant with the minimum privileges required for that operation and lifetime. Require a reproducible trace from the initiating input or state transition to the unsafe behavior, record coverage gaps, and confirm suspected findings dynamically where safe; no single technique establishes complete coverage.
Enumerate the users, resources, operations, and attributes in each authorization decision, then grant only the access required for the task. Deny by default, validate permission on every request, and test horizontal and vertical privilege boundaries. Separate administrative and service identities, centralize enforcement, and review grants whenever roles, routes, or business rules change.
Apply lessons from CVE-2024-8068 in Citrix Session Recording
NVD maps CVE-2024-8068 to CWE-269; improper privilege management could let an authenticated domain user escalate to NetworkService account access. Use the case to test service-account boundaries, restrict inter-service operations, and verify an ordinary domain identity cannot trigger work in a more privileged security context.
CWE-269 ranked #22 in the 2024 CWE Top 25 with a score of 8.92. Use this annual evidence to prioritize systemic prevention, detection coverage, and recurring-root-cause metrics across the portfolio, while retaining asset exposure, exploitability, and business impact for severity decisions on individual findings.
CWE-269 ranked #22 in the 2023 CWE Top 25 with a score of 3.31. Use this annual evidence to prioritize systemic prevention, detection coverage, and recurring-root-cause metrics across the portfolio, while retaining asset exposure, exploitability, and business impact for severity decisions on individual findings.
Exercise privilege grants, transitions, and cleanup
Create users and services at each privilege level, then test direct access, role changes, delegation, impersonation, token scope, scheduled jobs, and error cleanup. Verify elevation is explicit, time-bounded, and limited to the requested operation; confirm privileges are dropped on success, failure, cancellation, logout, and process reuse, and that no lower role can mint a stronger credential.
CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.
Is CWE-269 in the CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses?+
Yes. CWE-269 ranked #22 in the CWE Top 25 for 2024, associated with 636 CVEs that year. The CWE Top 25 highlights the most common and impactful software weaknesses based on real-world vulnerability data.
What are the security consequences of Improper Privilege Management?+
If exploited, CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) it can compromise Access Control, leading to outcomes such as Gain Privileges or Assume Identity.
Which programming languages are affected by Improper Privilege Management?+
CWE-269 commonly affects Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.
What are real-world examples of Improper Privilege Management?+
MITRE documents real CVEs mapped to CWE-269, including CVE-2001-1555, CVE-2001-1514, CVE-2001-0128, CVE-1999-1193 and CVE-2005-2741. You can look up the full details of each CVE, including CVSS scores and remediation guidance, on our CVE Lookup tool.
What is the difference between a CWE and a CVE?+
A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-269 describes a category of software weakness — the underlying flaw type. A CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) identifies a specific, real-world vulnerability in a particular product. In short, a CWE is the kind of mistake, and a CVE is an instance of that mistake being found in software.