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Weakness · BaseCWE-276

CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions

Likelihood of exploit: MediumKEV-linkedBase

As of 2026-10-05, CWE-276 (Incorrect Default Permissions) underlies 4 CVEs tracked by Threadlinqs, 2 of them in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and is cited by 11 tracked threats. MITRE rates its likelihood of exploit as Medium.

CVEs
4Mapped to CWE-276
CISA KEV
2Exploited in the wild
Critical
1CVSS v3 critical CVEs
Threats
11Tracked campaigns citing it
Likelihood
MediumMITRE likelihood of exploit

Last updated:

What is CWE-276?

During installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files.

CWE-276 is a base-level weakness in MITRE’s Common Weakness Enumeration, with a MITRE likelihood of exploit of Medium. Applicable platforms: Language: Not Language-Specific; Technology: Not Technology-Specific; Technology: ICS/OT.

Source: MITRE CWE (CWE-276 definition, reproduced verbatim). Counts and linkage below are Threadlinqs data.

Consequences

  • Confidentiality, Integrity — Read Application Data, Modify Application Data

Source: MITRE CWE, common consequences.

How CWE-276 is exploited in the wild

Threadlinqs maps 4 CVEs to CWE-276, published between 2022-03-29 and 2026-09-17. 2 are listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, the authoritative record of exploitation in the wild. By CVSS v3 severity the set splits into 1 critical, 2 high, 1 medium. The highest EPSS score in the set is 26.0% (CVE-2022-22948), the modelled probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. 11 tracked threats reference CWE-276 directly or through a CVE it covers; the most recent is “Unauthenticated AWS API Gateway + Over-Permissioned Lambda: Credential Extraction Attack Chain” (2026-09-21). Affected products concentrate in Acronis (1), Juniper (1), Vmware (1), among 4 vendors in total.

Vulnerabilities (CVEs)

All 4 CVEs mapped to CWE-276, CISA KEV first, then by CVSS score.

  • CVE-2026-87886 — CISA KEV · CVSS 7.8 high · EPSS 0.2% · published 2026-09-17
  • CVE-2022-22948 — CISA KEV · CVSS 6.5 medium · EPSS 26.0% · published 2022-03-29
  • CVE-2026-21902 — CVSS 9.8 critical · EPSS 0.0% · published 2026-02-25
  • CVE-2026-17497 — CVSS 8.3 high · EPSS 0.4% · published 2026-07-26

Affected vendors

  • Acronis — 1 CVE
  • Juniper — 1 CVE
  • Vmware — 1 CVE
  • codexu — 1 CVE

Threat activity

11 tracked threats cite CWE-276:

Mitigations

  • Architecture and Design, Operation: The architecture needs to access and modification attributes for files to only those users who actually require those actions.
  • 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.

Source: MITRE CWE, potential mitigations.

Detection methods (MITRE CWE)

  • Automated Static Analysis - Binary or Bytecode (effectiveness: SOAR Partial): According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Cost effective for partial coverage: Inter-application Flow Analysis
  • Manual Static Analysis - Binary or Bytecode (effectiveness: SOAR Partial): According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Cost effective for partial coverage: Binary / Bytecode disassembler - then use manual analysis for vulnerabilities & anomalies
  • Dynamic Analysis with Automated Results Interpretation (effectiveness: SOAR Partial): According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Cost effective for partial coverage: Host-based Vulnerability Scanners - Examine configuration for flaws, verifying that audit mechanisms work, ensure host configuration meets certain predefined criteria Web Application Scanner Web Services Scanner Database Scanners
  • Dynamic Analysis with Manual Results Interpretation (effectiveness: High): According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Highly cost effective: Host Application Interface Scanner Cost effective for partial coverage: Fuzz Tester Framework-based Fuzzer Automated Monitored Execution Forced Path Execution
  • Manual Static Analysis - Source Code (effectiveness: High): According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Highly cost effective: Manual Source Code Review (not inspections) Cost effective for partial coverage: Focused Manual Spotcheck - Focused manual analysis of source
  • Automated Static Analysis - Source Code (effectiveness: SOAR Partial): According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Cost effective for partial coverage: Context-configured Source Code Weakness Analyzer
  • Automated Static Analysis (effectiveness: SOAR Partial): According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Cost effective for partial coverage: Configuration Checker
  • Architecture or Design Review (effectiveness: High): According to SOAR [REF-1479], the following detection techniques may be useful: Highly cost effective: Formal Methods / Correct-By-Construction Cost effective for partial coverage: Inspection (IEEE 1028 standard) (can apply to requirements, design, source code, etc.)

Source: MITRE CWE, detection methods. Threadlinqs detection rules for the threats above are Blue tier and higher.