The product does not require that users should have strong passwords.

Primary

Authentication mechanisms often rely on a memorized secret (also known as a password) to provide an assertion of identity for a user of a system. It is therefore important that this password be of sufficient complexity and impractical for an adversary to guess. The specific requirements around how complex a password needs to be depends on the type of system being protected. Selecting the correct password requirements and enforcing them through implementation are critical to the overall success of the authentication mechanism.

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

Implementation
Not enforcing the password policy stated in a products design can allow users to create passwords that do not provide the necessary level of protection.

Access Control
Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
An attacker could easily guess user passwords and gain access user accounts.

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.)
High

Architecture and Design

A product's design should require adherance to an appropriate password policy. Specific password requirements depend strongly on contextual factors, but it is recommended to contain the following attributes:

Enforcement of a minimum and maximum length
Restrictions against password reuse
Restrictions against using common passwords
Restrictions against using contextual string in the password (e.g., user id, app name)

Depending on the threat model, the password policy may include several additional attributes.

Complex passwords requiring mixed character sets (alpha, numeric, special, mixed case)

Increasing the range of characters makes the password harder to crack and may be appropriate for systems relying on single factor authentication.
Unfortunately, a complex password may be difficult to memorize, encouraging a user to select a short password or to incorrectly manage the password (write it down).
Another disadvantage of this approach is that it often does not result in a significant increases in overal password complexity due to people's predictable usage of various symbols.

Large Minimum Length (encouraging passphrases instead of passwords)

Increasing the number of characters makes the password harder to crack and may be appropriate for systems relying on single factor authentication.
A disadvantage of this approach is that selecting a good passphrase is not easy and poor passwords can still be generated. Some prompting may be needed to encourage long un-predictable passwords.

Randomly Chosen Secrets

Generating a password for the user can help make sure that length and complexity requirements are met, and can result in secure passwords being used.
A disadvantage of this approach is that the resulting password or passpharse may be too difficult to memorize, encouraging them to be written down.

See NIST 800-63B [REF-1053] for further information on password requirements.

Architecture and Design
Consider a second
authentication factor beyond the password, which prevents the
password from being a single point of failure. See CWE-308 for
further information.

Implementation
Consider implementing a password complexity meter to inform users when a chosen password meets the required attributes.

Implementation
Previously, "password expiration" was
widely advocated as a defense-in-depth approach to
minimize the risk of weak passwords, and it has become
a common practice. Password expiration requires a
password to be changed within a fixed time window (such
as every 90 days). However, this approach has
significant limitations in the current threat
landscape, and its utility has been reduced in light of
the adoption of related protection mechanisms (such as
password complexity and computational effort), along
with the recognition that regular password changes
often caused users to generate more predictable
passwords. As a result, this is now a Discouraged
Common Practice [REF-1488] [REF-1489], especially as
the sole factor in protecting passwords. It is still
strongly encouraged to force password changes in case
of evidence of compromise, but this is not the same as
a forced "expiration" on an arbitrary time
frame.
Discouraged Common Practice

CVE-2020-4574
key server application does not require strong passwords
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-4574

A3
Broken Authentication and Session Management
CWE More Specific

Allowed
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.

Anonymous Tool Vendor (under NDA)
2006-07-19
Draft 3
2006-07-19

Eric Dalci
Cigital
2008-07-01
updated Potential_Mitigations, Time_of_Introduction

Veracode
2008-08-15
Suggested OWASP Top Ten 2004 mapping

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2008-09-08
updated Description, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2009-05-27
updated Related_Attack_Patterns

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2011-03-29
updated Potential_Mitigations, Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2011-06-01
updated Common_Consequences

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2012-05-11
updated Common_Consequences, References, Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2014-07-30
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2017-11-08
updated Modes_of_Introduction, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2019-06-20
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2020-02-24
updated Applicable_Platforms, Description, Modes_of_Introduction, Potential_Mitigations, References

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2020-08-20
updated Related_Attack_Patterns

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2021-10-28
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2022-10-13
updated Observed_Examples, Potential_Mitigations, Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2023-04-27
updated Detection_Factors, Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2023-06-29
updated Mapping_Notes

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2025-09-09
4.18
2025-09-09
updated Potential_Mitigations, References

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2025-12-11
4.19
2025-12-11
updated Background_Details, Description, Diagram, Potential_Mitigations, Relationships, Weakness_Ordinalities

Camille Gouttebroze
CAST Software
2025-03-17
4.18
2025-09-09
suggested removal of password expiration as an acceptable mitigation and provided references