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Home > CWE List > CWE-346: Origin Validation Error (4.20)  
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    CWE-346: Origin Validation Error

    Weakness ID: 346
    Vulnerability Mapping: ALLOWED This CWE ID could be used to map to real-world vulnerabilities in limited situations requiring careful review (with careful review of mapping notes)
    Abstraction: Class Class - a weakness that is described in a very abstract fashion, typically independent of any specific language or technology. More specific than a Pillar Weakness, but more general than a Base Weakness. Class level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 1 or 2 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, and resource.
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    + Description
    The product does not properly verify that the source of data or communication is valid.
    + Common Consequences
    Section HelpThis table specifies different individual consequences associated with the weakness. The Scope identifies the application security area that is violated, while the Impact describes the negative technical impact that arises if an adversary succeeds in exploiting this weakness. The Likelihood provides information about how likely the specific consequence is expected to be seen relative to the other consequences in the list. For example, there may be high likelihood that a weakness will be exploited to achieve a certain impact, but a low likelihood that it will be exploited to achieve a different impact.
    Impact Details

    Gain Privileges or Assume Identity; Varies by Context

    		Scope: Access Control, Other

    An attacker can access any functionality that is inadvertently accessible to the source.
    + Relationships
    Section Help This table shows the weaknesses and high level categories that are related to this weakness. These relationships are defined as ChildOf, ParentOf, MemberOf and give insight to similar items that may exist at higher and lower levels of abstraction. In addition, relationships such as PeerOf and CanAlsoBe are defined to show similar weaknesses that the user may want to explore.
    + Relevant to the view "Research Concepts" (View-1000)
    Nature Type ID Name
    ChildOf Pillar Pillar - a weakness that is the most abstract type of weakness and represents a theme for all class/base/variant weaknesses related to it. A Pillar is different from a Category as a Pillar is still technically a type of weakness that describes a mistake, while a Category represents a common characteristic used to group related things. 284 Improper Access Control
    ChildOf Class Class - a weakness that is described in a very abstract fashion, typically independent of any specific language or technology. More specific than a Pillar Weakness, but more general than a Base Weakness. Class level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 1 or 2 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, and resource. 345 Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity
    ParentOf Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 940 Improper Verification of Source of a Communication Channel
    ParentOf Variant Variant - a weakness that is linked to a certain type of product, typically involving a specific language or technology. More specific than a Base weakness. Variant level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 3 to 5 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 1385 Missing Origin Validation in WebSockets
    PeerOf Class Class - a weakness that is described in a very abstract fashion, typically independent of any specific language or technology. More specific than a Pillar Weakness, but more general than a Base Weakness. Class level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 1 or 2 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, and resource. 451 User Interface (UI) Misrepresentation of Critical Information
    + Relevant to the view "Software Development" (View-699)
    Nature Type ID Name
    MemberOf Category Category - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. 417 Communication Channel Errors
    MemberOf Category Category - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. 1214 Data Integrity Issues
    + Relevant to the view "Weaknesses for Simplified Mapping of Published Vulnerabilities" (View-1003)
    Nature Type ID Name
    ChildOf Class Class - a weakness that is described in a very abstract fashion, typically independent of any specific language or technology. More specific than a Pillar Weakness, but more general than a Base Weakness. Class level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 1 or 2 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, and resource. 345 Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity
    + Relevant to the view "Architectural Concepts" (View-1008)
    Nature Type ID Name
    MemberOf Category Category - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. 1014 Identify Actors
    + Modes Of Introduction
    Section HelpThe different Modes of Introduction provide information about how and when this weakness may be introduced. The Phase identifies a point in the life cycle at which introduction may occur, while the Note provides a typical scenario related to introduction during the given phase.
    Phase Note
    Architecture and Design
    Implementation REALIZATION: This weakness is caused during implementation of an architectural security tactic.
    + Applicable Platforms
    Section HelpThis listing shows possible areas for which the given weakness could appear. These may be for specific named Languages, Operating Systems, Architectures, Paradigms, Technologies, or a class of such platforms. The platform is listed along with how frequently the given weakness appears for that instance.
    Languages

    Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined Prevalence)

    Technologies

    Class: Not Technology-Specific (Undetermined Prevalence)

    Class: Web Based (Undetermined Prevalence)

    + Demonstrative Examples

    Example 1


    This Android application will remove a user account when it receives an intent to do so:

    (bad code)
    Example Language: Java 
    IntentFilter filter = new IntentFilter("com.example.RemoveUser");
    MyReceiver receiver = new MyReceiver();
    registerReceiver(receiver, filter);

    public class DeleteReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver {
    @Override
    public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
    int userID = intent.getIntExtra("userID");
    destroyUserData(userID);
    }
    }

    This application does not check the origin of the intent, thus allowing any malicious application to remove a user. Always check the origin of an intent, or create an allowlist of trusted applications using the manifest.xml file.



    Example 2


    These Android and iOS applications intercept URL loading within a WebView and perform special actions if a particular URL scheme is used, thus allowing the Javascript within the WebView to communicate with the application:

    (bad code)
    Example Language: Java 
    // Android
    @Override
    public boolean shouldOverrideUrlLoading(WebView view, String url){
    if (url.substring(0,14).equalsIgnoreCase("examplescheme:")){
    if(url.substring(14,25).equalsIgnoreCase("getUserInfo")){
    writeDataToView(view, UserData);
    return false;
    }
    else{
    return true;
    }
    }
    }
    (bad code)
    Example Language: Objective-C 
    // iOS
    -(BOOL) webView:(UIWebView *)exWebView shouldStartLoadWithRequest:(NSURLRequest *)exRequest navigationType:(UIWebViewNavigationType)exNavigationType
    {
    NSURL *URL = [exRequest URL];
    if ([[URL scheme] isEqualToString:@"exampleScheme"])
    {
    NSString *functionString = [URL resourceSpecifier];
    if ([functionString hasPrefix:@"specialFunction"])
    {

    // Make data available back in webview.
    UIWebView *webView = [self writeDataToView:[URL query]];
    }
    return NO;
    }
    return YES;
    }

    A call into native code can then be initiated by passing parameters within the URL:

    (attack code)
    Example Language: JavaScript 
    window.location = examplescheme://method?parameter=value

    Because the application does not check the source, a malicious website loaded within this WebView has the same access to the API as a trusted site.



    + Selected Observed Examples

    Note: this is a curated list of examples for users to understand the variety of ways in which this weakness can be introduced. It is not a complete list of all CVEs that are related to this CWE entry.

    Reference Description
    DNS server can accept DNS updates from hosts that it did not query, leading to cache poisoning
    Browser does not set Mark-of-the-Web (MotW) for a downloaded .EXE file if the name is close to the maximum path length, preventing recording of a zone identifier in the filename
    Zip file extraction program does not propagate Mark-of-the-Web (MotW) metadata to files that are extracted from an Internet-downloaded Zip file
    Zip file extraction program does not propagate Mark-of-the-Web (MotW) metadata to files that are extracted from an Internet-downloaded Zip file
    DNS server can accept DNS updates from hosts that it did not query, leading to cache poisoning
    DNS server caches glue records received from non-delegated name servers
    user ID obtained from untrusted source (URL)
    LDAP service does not verify if a particular attribute was set by the LDAP server
    product does not sufficiently distinguish external HTML from internal, potentially dangerous HTML, allowing bypass using special strings in the page title. Overlaps special elements.
    product records the reverse DNS name of a visitor in the logs, allowing spoofing and resultant XSS.
    + Weakness Ordinalities
    Ordinality Description
    Primary
    (where the weakness exists independent of other weaknesses)
    Resultant
    (where the weakness is typically related to the presence of some other weaknesses)
    + Detection Methods
    Method Details

    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.)
    + Memberships
    Section HelpThis MemberOf Relationships table shows additional CWE Categories and Views that reference this weakness as a member. This information is often useful in understanding where a weakness fits within the context of external information sources.
    Nature Type ID Name
    MemberOf CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. 949 SFP Secondary Cluster: Faulty Endpoint Authentication
    MemberOf CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. 1353 OWASP Top Ten 2021 Category A07:2021 - Identification and Authentication Failures
    MemberOf CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. 1382 ICS Operations (& Maintenance): Emerging Energy Technologies
    MemberOf CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. 1411 Comprehensive Categorization: Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity
    MemberOf CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. 1442 OWASP Top Ten 2025 Category A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
    + Vulnerability Mapping Notes
    Usage ALLOWED-WITH-REVIEW
    (this CWE ID could be used to map to real-world vulnerabilities in limited situations requiring careful review)
    Reason Abstraction

    Rationale

    		This CWE entry is a Class and might have Base-level children that would be more appropriate

    Comments

    		Examine children of this entry to see if there is a better fit
    + Notes

    Terminology

    The "Origin Validation Error" term was originally used in a 1995 thesis [REF-324]. Although not formally defined, an issue is considered to be an origin validation error if either (1) "an object [accepts] input from an unauthorized subject," or (2) "the system [fails] to properly or completely authenticate a subject." A later section says that an origin validation error can occur when the system (1) "does not properly authenticate a user or process" or (2) "does not properly authenticate the shared data or libraries." The only example provided in the thesis (covered by OSVDB:57615) involves a setuid program running command-line arguments without dropping privileges. So, this definition (and its examples in the thesis) effectively cover other weaknesses such as CWE-287 (Improper Authentication), CWE-285 (Improper Authorization), and CWE-250 (Execution with Unnecessary Privileges). There appears to be little usage of this term today, except in the SecurityFocus vulnerability database, where the term is used for a variety of issues, including web-browser problems that allow violation of the Same Origin Policy and improper validation of the source of an incoming message.

    Maintenance

    This entry has some significant overlap with other CWE entries and may need some clarification. See terminology notes.
    + Taxonomy Mappings
    Mapped Taxonomy Name Node ID Fit Mapped Node Name
    PLOVER Origin Validation Error
    ISA/IEC 62443 Part 3-3 Req SR 2.12 RE(1)
    ISA/IEC 62443 Part 4-1 Req SD-1
    ISA/IEC 62443 Part 4-1 Req SR-2
    ISA/IEC 62443 Part 4-1 Req SVV-1
    ISA/IEC 62443 Part 4-2 Req CR 2.12 RE(1)
    ISA/IEC 62443 Part 4-2 Req CR 3.1 RE(1)
    + References
    [REF-324] Taimur Aslam. "A Taxonomy of Security Faults in the UNIX Operating System". 1995-08-01.
    <https://cwe.mitre.org/documents/sources/ATaxonomyofSecurityFaultsintheUNIXOperatingSystem%5BAslam95%5D.pdf>. (URL validated: 2024-11-17)
    + Content History
    + Submissions
    Submission Date Submitter Organization
    2006-07-19
    (CWE Draft 3, 2006-07-19)     		PLOVER
    + Contributions
    Contribution Date Contributor Organization
    2023-04-25 "Mapping CWE to 62443" Sub-Working Group CWE-CAPEC ICS/OT SIG
    Suggested mappings to ISA/IEC 62443.
    + Modifications
    Modification Date Modifier Organization
    2025-12-11
    (CWE 4.19, 2025-12-11)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Applicable_Platforms, Detection_Factors, Relationships
    2025-09-09
    (CWE 4.18, 2025-09-09)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Observed_Examples
    2024-11-19
    (CWE 4.16, 2024-11-19)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated References
    2024-02-29
    (CWE 4.14, 2024-02-29)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Taxonomy_Mappings
    2023-06-29
    (CWE 4.12, 2023-06-29)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Mapping_Notes, Relationships
    2023-04-27
    (CWE 4.11, 2023-04-27)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
    2023-01-31
    (CWE 4.10, 2023-01-31)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Description, Type
    2022-04-28
    (CWE 4.7, 2022-04-28)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Relationships
    2021-10-28
    (CWE 4.6, 2021-10-28)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Relationships
    2020-06-25
    (CWE 4.1, 2020-06-25)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Demonstrative_Examples, Terminology_Notes
    2020-02-24
    (CWE 4.0, 2020-02-24)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Relationships
    2019-06-20
    (CWE 3.3, 2019-06-20)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Related_Attack_Patterns, Relationships
    2017-11-08
    (CWE 3.0, 2017-11-08)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Modes_of_Introduction, References, Relationships
    2014-07-30
    (CWE 2.8, 2014-07-31)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Relationships
    2014-06-23
    (CWE 2.7, 2014-06-23)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Related_Attack_Patterns
    2014-02-18
    (CWE 2.6, 2014-02-19)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Applicable_Platforms, Common_Consequences, Demonstrative_Examples, Maintenance_Notes, References, Relationship_Notes, Relationships, Terminology_Notes
    2012-05-11
    (CWE 2.2, 2012-05-15)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Related_Attack_Patterns, Relationships
    2011-06-27
    (CWE 2.0, 2011-06-27)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Common_Consequences
    2011-06-01
    (CWE 1.13, 2011-06-01)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Common_Consequences
    2010-12-13
    (CWE 1.11, 2010-12-13)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Related_Attack_Patterns
    2009-05-27
    (CWE 1.4, 2009-05-27)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Related_Attack_Patterns
    2008-09-08
    (CWE 1.0, 2008-09-09)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Relationships, Relationship_Notes, Taxonomy_Mappings, Weakness_Ordinalities
    2008-07-01
    (CWE 1.0, 2008-09-09)     		Eric Dalci Cigital
    updated Time_of_Introduction
    Page Last Updated: April 30, 2026
     

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