Information Leak through WSDL File
Weakness ID: 651 (Weakness Variant)Status: Incomplete
+ Description

Description Summary

The Web services architecture may require exposing a WSDL file that contains information on the publicly accessible services and how callers of these services should interact with them (e.g. what parameters they expect and what types they return).

Extended Description

An information disclosure leak may occur if:

1. The WSDL file is accessible to a wider audience than intended

2. The WSDL file contains information on the methods/services that should not be publicly accessible or information about deprecated methods. This problem is made more likely due to the WSDL often being automatically generated from the code.

3. Information in the WSDL file helps guess names/locations of methods/resources that should not be publicly accessible.

+ Time of Introduction
  • Architecture and Design
  • Implementation
  • Operation
+ Applicable Platforms

Languages

All

Technology Classes

Web-Server: (Often)

+ Common Consequences
ScopeEffect
Confidentiality

Information Disclosure

+ Enabling Factors for Exploitation

The system employs a web services architecture.

WSDL is used to advertise information information on how to communicate with the service.

+ Observed Examples
ReferenceDescription
The WSDL for a service providing information on the best price of a certain item exposes the following method: float getBestPrice(String ItemID) An attacker might guess that there is a method setBestPrice (String ItemID, float Price) that is available and invoke that method to try and change the best price of a given item to their advantage. The attack may succeed if the attacker correctly guesses the name of the method, the method does not have proper access controls around it and the service itself has the functionality to update the best price of the item.
+ Potential Mitigations

Limit access to the WSDL file as much as possible. If services are provided only to a limited number of entities, it may be better to provide WSDL privately to each of these entities than to publish WSDL publicly.

Make sure that WSDL does not describe methods that should not be publicly accessible. Make sure to protect service methods that should not be publicly accessible with access controls.

Do not use method names in WSDL that might help an adversary guess names of private methods/resources used by the service.

+ Relationships
NatureTypeIDNameView(s) this relationship pertains toView(s)
ChildOfWeakness BaseWeakness Base538File and Directory Information Exposure
Development Concepts (primary)699
Research Concepts (primary)1000
+ Content History
Submissions
Submission DateSubmitterOrganizationSource
2008-01-30Evgeny LebanidzeCigitalExternal Submission
Modifications
Modification DateModifierOrganizationSource
2008-09-08CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Applicable Platforms, Common Consequences, Description, Relationships
2009-10-29CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Common Consequences
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