CWE-636

Class Abstraction Level
Pillar — Highest-level weakness category
Class — Abstract, language-independent
Base — Specific enough to detect
Variant — Tied to specific technology
Compound — Requires multiple weaknesses Draft MITRE CWE Status
Stable — Fully reviewed and complete
Draft — Under development, may change
Incomplete — Partially defined by MITRE
Deprecated — No longer recommended
Obsolete — Replaced by another CWE
Not Failing Securely ('Failing Open')

Description

When the product encounters an error condition or failure, its design requires it to fall back to a state that is less secure than other options that are available, such as selecting the weakest encryption algorithm or using the most permissive access control restrictions.

By entering a less secure state, the product inherits the weaknesses associated with that state, making it easier to compromise. At the least, it causes administrators to have a false sense of security. This weakness typically occurs as a result of wanting to "fail functional" to minimize administration and support costs, instead of "failing safe."

Top Monitored CVEs

CVE-2024-43532
HIGH
8.8 11.7%
2024-10-08

Consequences

Access Control — Bypass Protection Mechanism

Intended access restrictions can be bypassed, which is often contradictory to what the product's administrator expects.

Mitigations

Phase: Architecture and Design

Subdivide and allocate resources and components so that a failure in one part does not affect the entire product.