CWE-799: Improper Control of Interaction Frequency
The product does not properly limit the number or frequency of interactions that it has with an actor, such as the number of incoming requests.
View on MITREExtended Description
This can allow the actor to perform actions more frequently than expected. The actor could be a human or an automated process such as a virus or bot. This could be used to cause a denial of service, compromise program logic (such as limiting humans to a single vote), or other consequences. For example, an authentication routine might not limit the number of times an attacker can guess a password. Or, a web site might conduct a poll but only expect humans to vote a maximum of once a day.
Technical Details
- Structure
- Simple
Applicable To
Security Consequences
Scope
Impact
Mitigation Strategies
No mitigation information available for this CWE.
Detection Methods
No detection method information available for this CWE.
Code Examples & CVEs
Demonstrative Examples
In the following code a username and password is read from a socket and an attempt is made to authenticate the username and password. The code will continuously checked the socket for a username and password until it has been authenticated.
This code does not place any restriction on the number of authentication attempts made. There should be a limit on the number of authentication attempts made to prevent brute force attacks as in the following example code.
In the following code a username and password is read from a socket and an attempt is made to authenticate the username and password. The code will continuously checked the socket for a username and password until it has been authenticated.
This code does not place any restriction on the number of authentication attempts made. There should be a limit on the number of authentication attempts made to prevent brute force attacks as in the following example code.
Observed CVE Examples (1)
Mail server allows attackers to prevent other users from accessing mail by sending large number of rapid requests.
View DetailsCWE Relationships
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CWE-799: Improper Control of Interaction Frequency?+
CWE-799: Improper Control of Interaction Frequency is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product does not properly limit the number or frequency of interactions that it has with an actor, such as the number of incoming requests. This can allow the actor to perform actions more frequently than expected. The actor could be a human or an automated process such as a virus or bot. This could be used to cause a denial of service, compromise program logic (such as limiting humans to a single vote), or other consequences. For example, an authentication routine might not limit the number of times an attacker can guess a password. Or, a web site might conduct a poll but only expect humans to vote a maximum of once a day.
What are the security consequences of Improper Control of Interaction Frequency?+
If exploited, CWE-799 (Improper Control of Interaction Frequency) it can compromise Availability, Access Control and Other, leading to outcomes such as DoS: Resource Consumption (Other), Bypass Protection Mechanism and Other.
Which programming languages are affected by Improper Control of Interaction Frequency?+
CWE-799 commonly affects Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.
What are real-world examples of Improper Control of Interaction Frequency?+
MITRE documents real CVEs mapped to CWE-799, including CVE-2002-1876. You can look up the full details of each CVE, including CVSS scores and remediation guidance, on our CVE Lookup tool.
What is the difference between a CWE and a CVE?+
A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-799 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.