CWE-370: Missing Check for Certificate Revocation after Initial Check

VariantDraftExploit Likelihood: Medium

The product does not check the revocation status of a certificate after its initial revocation check, which can cause the product to perform privileged actions even after the certificate is revoked at a later time.

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Extended Description

If the revocation status of a certificate is not checked before each action that requires privileges, the system may be subject to a race condition. If a certificate is revoked after the initial check, all subsequent actions taken with the owner of the revoked certificate will lose all benefits guaranteed by the certificate. In fact, it is almost certain that the use of a revoked certificate indicates malicious activity.

Technical Details

Structure
Simple

Applicable To

Languages
Not Language-Specific
Platforms

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CWE-370: Missing Check for Certificate Revocation after Initial Check?+

CWE-370: Missing Check for Certificate Revocation after Initial Check is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product does not check the revocation status of a certificate after its initial revocation check, which can cause the product to perform privileged actions even after the certificate is revoked at a later time. If the revocation status of a certificate is not checked before each action that requires privileges, the system may be subject to a race condition. If a certificate is revoked after the initial check, all subsequent actions taken with the owner of the revoked certificate will lose all benefits guaranteed by the certificate. In fact, it is almost certain that the use of a revoked certificate indicates malicious activity.

What are the security consequences of Missing Check for Certificate Revocation after Initial Check?+

If exploited, CWE-370 (Missing Check for Certificate Revocation after Initial Check) it can compromise Access Control, Integrity and Confidentiality, leading to outcomes such as Gain Privileges or Assume Identity, Modify Application Data and Read Application Data.

How do you prevent or mitigate Missing Check for Certificate Revocation after Initial Check?+

Recommended mitigations for CWE-370 include: Ensure that certificates are checked for revoked status before each use of a protected resource. If the certificate is checked before each access of a protected resource, the delay subject to a possible race condition becomes almost negligible and significantly reduces the risk associated with this issue.

Which programming languages are affected by Missing Check for Certificate Revocation after Initial Check?+

CWE-370 commonly affects Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.

What is the difference between a CWE and a CVE?+

A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-370 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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