Variant weakness

Draft

CWE-279: Incorrect Execution-Assigned Permissions

While it is executing, the product sets the permissions of an object in a way that violates the intended permissions that have been specified by the user.

Last updated May 1, 2026

23

Recorded CVEs

With this primary weakness

0

KEVs

In the CISA KEV catalog

Not rated

Likelihood of exploit

Per MITRE

Variant

Abstraction

MITRE classification

Overview

CWE-279 (Incorrect Execution-Assigned Permissions) is a variant-level software weakness catalogued by MITRE in the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE). It describes a recurring type of mistake that can lead to exploitable security vulnerabilities.

Real-world CVEs

23 recorded CVEs are caused by CWE-279 (Incorrect Execution-Assigned Permissions). The highest-severity and most recent are shown first. 4 new CWE-279 CVEs have been recorded so far in 2026 (10 in 2025).

Showing 12 of 23 recorded CWE-279 CVEs. Track new ones as they are published and get AI-written analysis and fixes.

Monitor CWE-279 vulnerabilities

Common consequences

What can happen when CWE-279 is exploited.

Read Application Data, Modify Application Data

Affects: Confidentiality, Integrity

How it happens

When it is introduced

Typically introduced during these phases of the software lifecycle.

Implementation

Architecture and Design

Operation

How to prevent it

Practical mitigations for CWE-279, grouped by where in the lifecycle they apply.

Architecture and Design

Operation

Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.

Architecture and Design

Separation of Privilege

Compartmentalize the system to have "safe" areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area.

Ensure that appropriate compartmentalization is built into the system design, and the compartmentalization allows for and reinforces privilege separation functionality. Architects and designers should rely on the principle of least privilege to decide the appropriate time to use privileges and the time to drop privileges.

How to detect it

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.)

Illustrative examples

Real CVEs that MITRE cites as examples of this weakness.

CVE-2002-0265 — Log files opened read/write.
CVE-2003-0876 — Log files opened read/write.
CVE-2002-1694 — Log files opened read/write.

Terminology & mappings

Mapped taxonomies

PLOVER: Insecure execution-assigned permissions
CERT C Secure Coding: Create files with appropriate access permissions (FIO06-C)
The CERT Oracle Secure Coding Standard for Java (2011): Create files with appropriate access permission (FIO01-J)

Attack patterns

CAPEC attack patterns that exploit this weakness.

CAPEC-81: Web Server Logs Tampering

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about CWE-279.

What is CWE-279?

While it is executing, the product sets the permissions of an object in a way that violates the intended permissions that have been specified by the user.

What CVEs are caused by CWE-279?

23 recorded CVEs are attributed to CWE-279, including CVE-2024-37734, CVE-2025-22843, CVE-2023-4665.

How do you prevent CWE-279?

Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.

How is CWE-279 detected?

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.)

What are the consequences of CWE-279?

Exploiting CWE-279 can lead to: Read Application Data, Modify Application Data.

Is CWE-279 actively exploited?

23 recorded CVEs are caused by CWE-279; none are currently in CISA's KEV catalog of actively exploited flaws.

References

Weakness data is sourced from the MITRE CWE catalog (v4.20). CVE associations are aggregated and kept current by RadicalNotion.AI.

Stay ahead of CWE-279

Get alerted the moment a new CWE-279 vulnerability affects your stack, with AI-written analysis, severity context, and remediation guidance.

Start free See pricing

Real-world CVEs

Overview

Real-world CVEs

Common consequences

How it happens

When it is introduced

How to prevent it

How to detect it

Automated Static Analysis

Illustrative examples

Related weaknesses

Parent

Terminology & mappings

Mapped taxonomies

Attack patterns

Frequently asked questions

What is CWE-279?

What CVEs are caused by CWE-279?

How do you prevent CWE-279?

How is CWE-279 detected?

What are the consequences of CWE-279?

Is CWE-279 actively exploited?

References

Stay ahead of CWE-279