Weakness (CWE)
CWE-648: Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs
The product does not conform to the API requirements for a function call that requires extra privileges. This could allow attackers to gain privileges by causing the function to be called incorrectly.
More detail
When a product contains certain functions that perform operations requiring an elevated level of privilege, the caller of a privileged API must be careful to:
- ensure that assumptions made by the APIs are valid, such as validity of arguments
- account for known weaknesses in the design/implementation of the API
- call the API from a safe context
If the caller of the API does not follow these requirements, then it may allow a malicious user or process to elevate their privilege, hijack the process, or steal sensitive data.
For instance, it is important to know if privileged APIs do not shed their privileges before returning to the caller or if the privileged function might make certain assumptions about the data, context or state information passed to it by the caller. It is important to always know when and how privileged APIs can be called in order to ensure that their elevated level of privilege cannot be exploited.
How to prevent it (6 mitigations)
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Implementation
Before calling privileged APIs, always ensure that the assumptions made by the privileged code hold true prior to making the call.
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Architecture and Design
Know architecture and implementation weaknesses of the privileged APIs and make sure to account for these weaknesses before calling the privileged APIs to ensure that they can be called safely.
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Implementation
If privileged APIs make certain assumptions about data, context or state validity that are passed by the caller, the calling code must ensure that these assumptions have been validated prior to making the call.
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Implementation
If privileged APIs do not shed their privilege prior to returning to the calling code, then calling code needs to shed these privileges immediately and safely right after the call to the privileged APIs. In particular, the calling code needs to ensure that a privileged thread of execution will never be returned to the user or made available to user-controlled processes.
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Implementation
Only call privileged APIs from safe, consistent and expected state.
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Implementation
Ensure that a failure or an error will not leave a system in a state where privileges are not properly shed and privilege escalation is possible (i.e. fail securely with regards to handling of privileges).
Source: MITRE CWE-648
11 results · Clear filters · Feed
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Critical 10.0
Cisco Identity Services Engine Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
A vulnerability in an API of Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to bypass authentication. This vulnerability is due to insufficient authentication control on an API endpoint. An attacker could exploit this vul…
KEV Sep 16, 2026 -
Critical 9.1
iControl REST vulnerability
A vulnerability exists in iControl REST where a highly privileged, authenticated attacker with at least the Manager role can create configuration objects that allow running arbitrary commands. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Suppo…
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Critical 9.1
OpenClaw < 2026.3.22 - Privilege Escalation via Unbound Bootstrap Setup Codes
OpenClaw before 2026.3.22 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability where bootstrap setup codes are not bound to intended device roles and scopes during pairing. Attackers can exploit this during first-use device pairing to escalate privileges beyond thei…
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Critical 9.9
OpenClaw < 2026.3.31 - Sandbox Bypass via Heartbeat Context Inheritance and senderIsOwner Escalation
OpenClaw before 2026.3.31 contains a sandbox bypass vulnerability allowing attackers to escalate privileges via heartbeat context inheritance and senderIsOwner parameter manipulation. Attackers can exploit improper context validation to bypass sandbox restric…
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Critical 9.0
Authentication Bypass in Sechard Information Technologies' SecHard
Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs, Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information, Insufficiently Protected Credentials vulnerability in Sechard Information Technologies SecHard allows Authentication Bypass, Interface Manipulation, Authentication Abuse, Harve…
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Critical 9.8
WhatsUp Gold Registry Overwrite Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
In WhatsUp Gold versions released before 2024.0.1, a remote unauthenticated attacker could leverage NmAPI.exe to create or change an existing registry value in registry path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Ipswitch\.
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Critical 9.8
D-Link DSL6740C - Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs
The D-Link DSL6740C modem has an Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs vulnerability, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to modify any user’s password by leveraging the API, thereby granting access to Web, SSH, and Telnet services using that user’s account.
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Critical 9.1
The OpenDaylight 0.15.3 controller allows topology poisoning via API requests because an application can manipulate the…
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Critical 9.8
Information Disclosure in Digital Yepas
Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs vulnerability in Yepas Digital Yepas allows Collect Data as Provided by Users. This issue affects Digital Yepas: before 1.0.1.
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Critical 9.1
org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-oldcore makes Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs with DocumentAuthors
XWiki Commons are technical libraries common to several other top level XWiki projects. The Document script API returns directly a DocumentAuthors allowing to set any authors to the document, which in consequence can allow subsequent executions of scripts sin…
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Critical 10.0
Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs in polonel/trudesk
Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs in GitHub repository polonel/trudesk prior to 1.2.4.