Common Weakness Enumeration

CWE-301

Weakness Allowed

Reflection Attack in an Authentication Protocol

Abstraction: Base · Status: Draft

API response cwe.mitre.org

Simple authentication protocols are subject to reflection attacks if a malicious user can use the target machine to impersonate a trusted user.

A mutual authentication protocol requires each party to respond to a random challenge by the other party by encrypting it with a pre-shared key. Often, however, such protocols employ the same pre-shared key for communication with a number of different entities. A malicious user or an attacker can easily compromise this protocol without possessing the correct key by employing a reflection attack on the protocol.

Reflection attacks capitalize on mutual authentication schemes in order to trick the target into revealing the secret shared between it and another valid user. In a basic mutual-authentication scheme, a secret is known to both the valid user and the server; this allows them to authenticate. In order that they may verify this shared secret without sending it plainly over the wire, they utilize a Diffie-Hellman-style scheme in which they each pick a value, then request the hash of that value as keyed by the shared secret. In a reflection attack, the attacker claims to be a valid user and requests the hash of a random value from the server. When the server returns this value and requests its own value to be hashed, the attacker opens another connection to the server. This time, the hash requested by the attacker is the value which the server requested in the first connection. When the server returns this hashed value, it is used in the first connection, authenticating the attacker successfully as the impersonated valid user.

Mapping guidance

This CWE entry is at the Base level of abstraction, which is a preferred level of abstraction for mapping to the root causes of vulnerabilities.

Carefully read both the name and description to ensure that this mapping is an appropriate fit. Do not try to 'force' a mapping to a lower-level Base/Variant simply to comply with this preferred level of abstraction.

Relationships and members
ChildOf: CWE-1390 · View CWE-1000
PeerOf: CWE-327 (symmetric) · View CWE-1000
Modes of introduction
Architecture and Design

COMMISSION: This weakness refers to an incorrect design related to an architectural security tactic.

Notes

Research Gap

By emphasizing a "Reflection Attack", this entry is more attack-focused and could be better expressed in ways that reflect the underlying weakness(es) that enable the attack to succeed.

Maintenance

The term "reflection" is used in multiple ways within CWE and the community, so its usage should be reviewed.

Content history
Submission: CLASP · 2006-07-19 · CWE Draft 3
Modification: Eric Dalci · Cigital · 2008-07-01 · CWE 1.0

updated Time_of_Introduction

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2008-09-08 · CWE 1.0

updated Common_Consequences, Description, Maintenance_Notes, Relationships, Other_Notes, Taxonomy_Mappings

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2011-06-01 · CWE 1.13

updated Common_Consequences

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2012-05-11 · CWE 2.2

updated Observed_Examples, References, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2014-07-30 · CWE 2.8

updated Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2017-11-08 · CWE 3.0

updated Applicable_Platforms, Demonstrative_Examples, Modes_of_Introduction, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2020-02-24 · CWE 4.0

updated References, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2021-03-15 · CWE 4.4

updated Description, Other_Notes

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2022-10-13 · CWE 4.9

updated Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2023-01-31 · CWE 4.10

updated Type

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2023-04-27 · CWE 4.11

updated Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2023-06-29 · CWE 4.12

updated Mapping_Notes

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2025-12-11 · CWE 4.19

updated Weakness_Ordinalities

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2026-04-30 · CWE 4.20

updated Observed_Examples

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2026-10-28 · CWE 5.0

updated Research_Gaps

1 vulnerability references this CWE, most recent first.

CVE-2019-9497 (GCVE-0-2019-9497)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2019-04-17 13:31 – Updated: 2024-08-04 21:54
VLAI
Title
The implementations of EAP-PWD in hostapd EAP Server and wpa_supplicant EAP Peer do not validate the scalar and element values in EAP-pwd-Commit
Summary
The implementations of EAP-PWD in hostapd EAP Server and wpa_supplicant EAP Peer do not validate the scalar and element values in EAP-pwd-Commit. This vulnerability may allow an attacker to complete EAP-PWD authentication without knowing the password. However, unless the crypto library does not implement additional checks for the EC point, the attacker will not be able to derive the session key or complete the key exchange. Both hostapd with SAE support and wpa_supplicant with SAE support prior to and including version 2.4 are affected. Both hostapd with EAP-pwd support and wpa_supplicant with EAP-pwd support prior to and including version 2.7 are affected.
Severity
No CVSS data available.
CWE
Assigner
certcc CNA under the mitre root
CNA scorecard E 42/100 over 172 records in the last 180 days details
References
Impacted products
Show details on NVD website
To clipboard 

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Mitigation
Architecture and Design

Use different keys for the initiator and responder or of a different type of challenge for the initiator and responder.

Mitigation
Architecture and Design

Let the initiator prove its identity before proceeding.

CAPEC-90: Reflection Attack in Authentication Protocol

An adversary can abuse an authentication protocol susceptible to reflection attack in order to defeat it. Doing so allows the adversary illegitimate access to the target system, without possessing the requisite credentials. Reflection attacks are of great concern to authentication protocols that rely on a challenge-handshake or similar mechanism. An adversary can impersonate a legitimate user and can gain illegitimate access to the system by successfully mounting a reflection attack during authentication.

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