Description
The product does not use or incorrectly uses a protection mechanism that provides sufficient defense against directed attacks against the product.
This weakness covers three distinct situations. A "missing" protection mechanism occurs when the application does not define any mechanism against a certain class of attack. An "insufficient" protection mechanism might provide some defenses - for example, against the most common attacks - but it does not protect against everything that is intended. Finally, an "ignored" mechanism occurs when a mechanism is available and in active use within the product, but the developer has not applied it in some code path.
Potential Impact
Access Control
Bypass Protection Mechanism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CWE-693?
CWE-693 (Protection Mechanism Failure) is a software weakness identified by MITRE's Common Weakness Enumeration. It is classified as a Pillar-level weakness. The product does not use or incorrectly uses a protection mechanism that provides sufficient defense against directed attacks against the product.
How can CWE-693 be exploited?
Attackers can exploit CWE-693 (Protection Mechanism Failure) to bypass protection mechanism. This weakness is typically introduced during the Architecture and Design, Implementation, Operation phase of software development.
How do I prevent CWE-693?
Follow secure coding practices, conduct code reviews, and use automated security testing tools (SAST/DAST) to detect this weakness early in the development lifecycle.
What is the severity of CWE-693?
CWE-693 is classified as a Pillar-level weakness (Foundational abstraction). Its actual severity depends on the specific context and how the weakness manifests in your application.