CWE-501: Trust Boundary Violation

BaseDraft

The product mixes trusted and untrusted data in the same data structure or structured message.

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Extended Description

A trust boundary can be thought of as line drawn through a program. On one side of the line, data is untrusted. On the other side of the line, data is assumed to be trustworthy. The purpose of validation logic is to allow data to safely cross the trust boundary - to move from untrusted to trusted. A trust boundary violation occurs when a program blurs the line between what is trusted and what is untrusted. By combining trusted and untrusted data in the same data structure, it becomes easier for programmers to mistakenly trust unvalidated data.

Technical Details

Structure
Simple

Applicable To

Languages
Not Language-Specific
Platforms

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CWE-501: Trust Boundary Violation?+

CWE-501: Trust Boundary Violation is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product mixes trusted and untrusted data in the same data structure or structured message. A trust boundary can be thought of as line drawn through a program. On one side of the line, data is untrusted. On the other side of the line, data is assumed to be trustworthy. The purpose of validation logic is to allow data to safely cross the trust boundary - to move from untrusted to trusted. A trust boundary violation occurs when a program blurs the line between what is trusted and what is untrusted. By combining trusted and untrusted data in the same data structure, it becomes easier for programmers to mistakenly trust unvalidated data.

What are the security consequences of Trust Boundary Violation?+

If exploited, CWE-501 (Trust Boundary Violation) it can compromise Access Control, leading to outcomes such as Bypass Protection Mechanism.

Which programming languages are affected by Trust Boundary Violation?+

CWE-501 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-501 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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