Description
The product provides an application for administrators to manage parts of the underlying operating system, but the application does not accurately identify all of the relevant entities or resources that exist in the OS; that is, the application's model of the OS's state is inconsistent with the OS's actual state.
Many products provide web-based applications or other interfaces for managing the underlying operating system. This is common with cloud, network access devices, home networking, and other systems. When the management tool does not accurately represent what is in the OS - such as user accounts - then the administrator might not see suspicious activities that would be noticed otherwise. For example, numerous systems utilize a web front-end for administrative control. They also offer the ability to add, alter, and drop users with various privileges as it relates to the functionality of the system. A potential architectural weakness may exist where the user information reflected in the web interface does not mirror the users in the underlying operating system. Many web UI or REST APIs use the underlying operating system for authentication; the system's logic may also track an additional set of user capabilities within configuration files and datasets for authorization capabilities. When there is a discrepancy between the user information in the UI or REST API's interface system and the underlying operating system's user listing, this may introduce a weakness into the system. For example, if an attacker compromises the OS and adds a new user account - a "ghost" account - then the attacker could escape detection if the management tool does not list the newly-added account. This discrepancy could be exploited in several ways: Many of these attacker scenarios can be realized by leveraging separate vulnerabilities related to XSS, command injection, authentication bypass, or logic flaws on the various systems.
Potential Impact
Access Control
Varies by Context
Accountability
Hide Activities
Other
Unexpected State
Demonstrative Examples
echo "user2:x:0:0::/root:/" >> /etc/passwd;
echo
"user2:\$6\$IdvyrM6VJnG8Su5U\$1gmW3Nm.IO4vxTQDQ1C8urm72JCadOHZQwqiH/nRtL8dPY80xS4Ovsv5bPCMWnXKKWwmsocSWXupUf17LB3oS.:17256:0:99999:7:::" >> /etc/shadow;Mitigations & Prevention
Ensure that the admin tool refreshes its model of the underlying OS on a regular basis, and note any inconsistencies with configuration files or other data sources that are expected to have the same data.
Related Weaknesses
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CWE-1249?
CWE-1249 (Application-Level Admin Tool with Inconsistent View of Underlying Operating System) is a software weakness identified by MITRE's Common Weakness Enumeration. It is classified as a Base-level weakness. The product provides an application for administrators to manage parts of the underlying operating system, but the application does not accurately identify all of the relevant entities or resources th...
How can CWE-1249 be exploited?
Attackers can exploit CWE-1249 (Application-Level Admin Tool with Inconsistent View of Underlying Operating System) to varies by context. This weakness is typically introduced during the Architecture and Design, Implementation phase of software development.
How do I prevent CWE-1249?
Key mitigations include: Ensure that the admin tool refreshes its model of the underlying OS on a regular basis, and note any inconsistencies with configuration files or other data sources that are expected to have the same d
What is the severity of CWE-1249?
CWE-1249 is classified as a Base-level weakness (Medium abstraction). Its actual severity depends on the specific context and how the weakness manifests in your application.