CWE-552 is Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties. The flaw arises when the product makes files or directories accessible to unauthorized actors, even though they should not be.
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No vulnerability data for CWE-552
No vulnerability data in CISA KEV for CWE-552
The product makes files or directories accessible to unauthorized actors, even though they should not be.
Web servers, FTP servers, and similar servers may store a set of files underneath a "root" directory that is accessible to the server's users. Applications may store sensitive files underneath this root without also using access control to limit which users may request those files, if any. Alternately, an application might package multiple files or directories into an archive file (e.g., ZIP or tar), but the application might not exclude sensitive files that are underneath those directories.
In cloud technologies and containers, this weakness might present itself in the form of misconfigured storage accounts that can be read or written by a public or anonymous user.
| Impact | Scope | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Read Files or Directories, Modify Files or Directories | Confidentiality, Integrity | - |
| Method | Approach | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|
| Automated Static Analysis | Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.) | High |
Below are representative vulnerabilities related to this CWE, prioritized by severity.
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