What is CWE-277: Insecure Inherited Permissions?

CWE-277: Insecure Inherited Permissions is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. A product defines a set of insecure permissions that are inherited by objects that are created by the program.

What are the security consequences of Insecure Inherited Permissions?

If exploited, CWE-277 (Insecure Inherited Permissions) it can compromise Confidentiality and Integrity, leading to outcomes such as Read Application Data and Modify Application Data.

Which programming languages are affected by Insecure Inherited Permissions?

CWE-277 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 Insecure Inherited Permissions?

MITRE documents real CVEs mapped to CWE-277, including CVE-2005-1841 and CVE-2002-1786. 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-277 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.

CWE-277: Insecure Inherited Permissions

Verify controls for CWE-277 with SSDF evidence

Use NIST SSDF verification and vulnerability-response practices to detect CWE-277, Insecure Inherited Permissions, throughout the product lifecycle. Derive review questions, static or dynamic checks, and negative tests from the CWE's causal behavior; define the components and lifecycle stages each check covers; and retain findings with enough evidence to distinguish the root cause from symptoms and impacts. Track escapes and false negatives, then improve the verification plan after every confirmed occurrence.

NIST SP 800-218 Secure Software Development Framework — National Institute of Standards and Technology

Apply Separation of Privilege controls for Insecure Inherited Permissions

MITRE associates mitigation with Architecture and Design, and Operation; the listed strategies include Separation of Privilege; recorded impacts include Read Application Data, and Modify Application Data. Use these source-defined anchors to turn CWE-277 into implementation, review, and verification checks for the affected component.

CWE-277: Insecure Inherited Permissions — MITRE CWE

Triage CWE-277 against known exploitation evidence

Use CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog to test whether a vulnerability mapped to CWE-277, Insecure Inherited Permissions, has evidence of exploitation in the wild. Confirm the CVE-to-CWE root-cause mapping independently before attaching the example, then capture the affected product, required action, and remediation deadline. A missing KEV match is not evidence that the weakness is unexploited, and a KEV entry must not be generalized to every occurrence of this CWE.

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog — Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Apply precise root-cause mapping to CWE-277

Apply MITRE's full root-cause mapping guidance when using CWE-277, Insecure Inherited Permissions. Separate weakness language from attacker prerequisites and technical impact, check the entry's abstraction and vulnerability-mapping notes, and prefer the most specific Base or Variant supported by the evidence. Record the rejected alternatives and require an independent review before the mapping is used for remediation trends or program metrics.

CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Guidance — MITRE CWE

Validate CWE-277 with root-cause mapping checks

Apply MITRE's root-cause mapping quick tips to CWE-277, Insecure Inherited Permissions. Confirm the finding describes the causal weakness rather than an impact or attack pattern, compare the abstraction and mapping notes with plausible alternatives, and have a second reviewer challenge the selection. Preserve the evidence and reasoning so recurring defects can be measured against one consistent identifier.

CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Quick Tips — MITRE CWE

CWE-277: Insecure Inherited Permissions

Technical Details

Applicable To

Security Consequences

Scope

Impact

Mitigation Strategies

Detection Methods

Code Examples & CVEs

Observed CVE Examples (2)

CWE Relationships

Parent Weaknesses

Source-backed guidance

Verify controls for CWE-277 with SSDF evidence

Apply Separation of Privilege controls for Insecure Inherited Permissions

Triage CWE-277 against known exploitation evidence

Apply precise root-cause mapping to CWE-277

Validate CWE-277 with root-cause mapping checks

Frequently Asked Questions

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