The product does not properly compartmentalize or isolate functionality, processes, or resources that require different privilege levels, rights, or permissions.
View on MITREWhen a weakness occurs in functionality that is accessible by lower-privileged users, then without strong boundaries, an attack might extend the scope of the damage to higher-privileged users.
The exploitation of a weakness in low-privileged areas of the software can be leveraged to reach higher-privileged areas without having to overcome any additional obstacles.
Break up privileges between different modules, objects, or entities. Minimize the interfaces between modules and require strong access control between them.
According to SOAR, the following detection techniques may be useful: Highly cost effective: Manual Source Code Review (not inspections) Cost effective for partial coverage: Focused Manual Spotcheck - Focused manual analysis of source
According to SOAR, the following detection techniques may be useful: Highly cost effective: Inspection (IEEE 1028 standard) (can apply to requirements, design, source code, etc.) Formal Methods / Correct-By-Construction Cost effective for partial coverage: Attack Modeling
Improper isolation of shared resource in a network-on-chip leads to denial of service
View DetailsBaseboard Management Controller (BMC) device implements Advanced High-performance Bus (AHB) bridges that do not require authentication for arbitrary read and write access to the BMC's physical address space from the host, and possibly the network [REF-1138].
View DetailsNo relationship information available for this CWE.
CWE-653: Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product does not properly compartmentalize or isolate functionality, processes, or resources that require different privilege levels, rights, or permissions. When a weakness occurs in functionality that is accessible by lower-privileged users, then without strong boundaries, an attack might extend the scope of the damage to higher-privileged users.
If exploited, CWE-653 (Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization) it can compromise Access Control, leading to outcomes such as Gain Privileges or Assume Identity and Bypass Protection Mechanism.
Recommended mitigations for CWE-653 include: Break up privileges between different modules, objects, or entities. Minimize the interfaces between modules and require strong access control between them.
CWE-653 can be detected using Manual Static Analysis - Source Code and Architecture or Design Review. Combining automated tooling with manual review typically yields the best coverage.
CWE-653 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-653, including CVE-2021-33096 and CVE-2019-6260. 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-653 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.