Unchecked Return Values for Privilege Drop

Description

These functions may be used to either drop or change account privileges. If the calls fail, the process will continue to run with the privileges assigned to it on start. Depending on the logic of the application, this may allow attackers to abuse the system due to privileges never being changed to a different access level. Always ensure return values of this function are checked to determine if the application should continue to operate.

Examples

Insecure Code

RpcImpersonateClient(); // without checking return value

Secure Code

if (!RpcImpersonateClient()) { /* handle error */ }

Remediation

Check the return values of the functions to ensure the application handles failed privilege drops correctly.

Rule Details

Field	Value
ID	CODE-0559
Category	AccessControl
Severity	HIGH
CWE	CWE-250
Confidence	HIGH
Impact	HIGH
Likelihood	MEDIUM
Exploitability	MODERATE
Tags	privilege drop, access control
OWASP	A5:2017-Broken Access Control, A01:2021-Broken Access Control

---