A number or object is predictable based on observations that the attacker can make about the state of the system or network, such as time, process ID, etc.
View on MITREThis weakness could be exploited by an attacker in a number ways depending on the context. If a predictable number is used to generate IDs or keys that are used within protection mechanisms, then an attacker could gain unauthorized access to the system. If predictable filenames are used for storing sensitive information, then an attacker might gain access to the system and may be able to gain access to the information in the file.
Increase the entropy used to seed a PRNG.
No detection method information available for this CWE.
This code generates a unique random identifier for a user's session.
Because the seed for the PRNG is always the user's ID, the session ID will always be the same. An attacker could thus predict any user's session ID and potentially hijack the session.
Mail server stores private mail messages with predictable filenames in a world-executable directory, which allows local users to read private mailing list archives.
View DetailsPRNG allows attackers to use the output of small PRNG requests to determine the internal state information, which could be used by attackers to predict future pseudo-random numbers.
View DetailsDNS resolver library uses predictable IDs, which allows a local attacker to spoof DNS query results.
View DetailsMFV. predictable filename and insecure permissions allows file modification to execute SQL queries.
View DetailsCWE-341: Predictable from Observable State is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. A number or object is predictable based on observations that the attacker can make about the state of the system or network, such as time, process ID, etc.
If exploited, CWE-341 (Predictable from Observable State) it can compromise Other, leading to outcomes such as Varies by Context.
Recommended mitigations for CWE-341 include: Increase the entropy used to seed a PRNG.
CWE-341 commonly affects Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.
MITRE documents real CVEs mapped to CWE-341, including CVE-2002-0389, CVE-2001-1141, CVE-2000-0335 and CVE-2005-1636. You can look up the full details of each CVE, including CVSS scores and remediation guidance, on our CVE Lookup tool.
A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-341 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.