The product, by default, initializes an internal variable with an insecure or less secure value than is possible.
View on MITREAn attacker could gain access to and modify sensitive data or system information.
Disable or change default settings when they can be used to abuse the system. Since those default settings are shipped with the product they are likely to be known by a potential attacker who is familiar with the product. For instance, default credentials should be changed or the associated accounts should be disabled.
No detection method information available for this CWE.
This code attempts to login a user using credentials from a POST request:
Because the $authorized variable is never initialized, PHP will automatically set $authorized to any value included in the POST request if register_globals is enabled. An attacker can send a POST request with an unexpected third value 'authorized' set to 'true' and gain authorized status without supplying valid credentials.
This code attempts to login a user using credentials from a POST request:
Because the $authorized variable is never initialized, PHP will automatically set $authorized to any value included in the POST request if register_globals is enabled. An attacker can send a POST request with an unexpected third value 'authorized' set to 'true' and gain authorized status without supplying valid credentials.
insecure default variable initialization in BIOS firmware for a hardware board allows DoS
View DetailsNo relationship information available for this CWE.
CWE-453: Insecure Default Variable Initialization is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product, by default, initializes an internal variable with an insecure or less secure value than is possible.
If exploited, CWE-453 (Insecure Default Variable Initialization) it can compromise Integrity, leading to outcomes such as Modify Application Data.
Recommended mitigations for CWE-453 include: Disable or change default settings when they can be used to abuse the system. Since those default settings are shipped with the product they are likely to be known by a potential attacker who is familiar with the product. For instance, default credentials should be changed or the associated accounts should be disabled.
CWE-453 commonly affects PHP and Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.
MITRE documents real CVEs mapped to CWE-453, including CVE-2022-36349. 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-453 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.