CWE-298: Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration

VariantDraftExploit Likelihood: Low

A certificate expiration is not validated or is incorrectly validated.

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Technical Details

Structure
Simple
Vulnerability Mapping
ALLOWED

Applicable To

Languages
Not Language-Specific
Platforms

Source-backed guidance

Additional facts reviewed against primary or authoritative security sources.

Verify controls for CWE-298 with SSDF evidence

Use NIST SSDF verification and vulnerability-response practices to detect CWE-298, Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration, 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

Address Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration during Architecture and Design

MITRE associates mitigation with Architecture and Design, and Implementation; recorded impacts include Other; observed examples include CVE-2025-4384, CVE-2007-3564, and CVE-2007-6746. Use these source-defined anchors to turn CWE-298 into implementation, review, and verification checks for the affected component.

CWE-298: Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration — MITRE CWE

Triage CWE-298 against known exploitation evidence

Use CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog to test whether a vulnerability mapped to CWE-298, Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration, 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-298

Apply MITRE's full root-cause mapping guidance when using CWE-298, Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration. 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-298 with root-cause mapping checks

Apply MITRE's root-cause mapping quick tips to CWE-298, Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration. 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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CWE-298: Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration?+

CWE-298: Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. A certificate expiration is not validated or is incorrectly validated.

What are the security consequences of Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration?+

If exploited, CWE-298 (Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration) it can compromise Integrity, Other and Authentication, leading to outcomes such as Other.

How do you prevent or mitigate Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration?+

Recommended mitigations for CWE-298 include: Check for expired certificates and provide the user with adequate information about the nature of the problem and how to proceed. If certificate pinning is being used, ensure that all relevant properties of the certificate are fully validated before the certificate is pinned, including the expiration.

Which programming languages are affected by Improper Validation of Certificate Expiration?+

CWE-298 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 Validation of Certificate Expiration?+

MITRE documents real CVEs mapped to CWE-298, including CVE-2025-4384, CVE-2007-3564, CVE-2007-6746 and CVE-2007-6746. 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-298 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.

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