The product uses OpenSSL and trusts or uses a certificate without using the SSL_get_verify_result() function to ensure that the certificate satisfies all necessary security requirements.
This could allow an attacker to use an invalid certificate to claim to be a trusted host, use expired certificates, or conduct other attacks that could be detected if the certificate is properly validated.

Primary

Implementation

Confidentiality
Read Application Data
The data read may not be properly secured, it might be viewed by an attacker.

Access Control
Bypass Protection Mechanism
Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
Trust afforded to the system in question may allow for spoofing or redirection attacks.

Access Control
Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
If the certificate is not checked, it may be possible for a redirection or spoofing attack to allow a malicious host with a valid certificate to provide data under the guise of a trusted host. While the attacker in question may have a valid certificate, it may simply be a valid certificate for a different site. In order to ensure data integrity, we must check that the certificate is valid, and that it pertains to the site we wish to access.

Architecture and Design
Ensure that proper authentication is included in the system design.

Implementation
Understand and properly implement all checks necessary to ensure the identity of entities involved in encrypted communications.

The following OpenSSL code ensures that the host has a certificate.

if (cert = SSL_get_peer_certificate(ssl)) {

// got certificate, host can be trusted

//foo=SSL_get_verify_result(ssl);

//if (X509_V_OK==foo) ...

}

Note that the code does not call SSL_get_verify_result(ssl), which effectively disables the validation step that checks the certificate.

Allowed
This CWE entry is at the Variant 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.

CWE-295 and CWE-599 are very similar, although CWE-599 has a more narrow scope that is only applied to OpenSSL certificates. As a result, other children of CWE-295 can be regarded as children of CWE-599 as well. CWE's use of one-dimensional hierarchical relationships is not well-suited to handle different kinds of abstraction relationships based on concepts like types of resources ("OpenSSL certificate" as a child of "any certificate") and types of behaviors ("not validating expiration" as a child of "improper validation").

CWE Community
2006-12-15
Draft 5
2006-12-15
Submitted by members of the CWE community to extend early CWE versions

Eric Dalci
Cigital
2008-07-01
updated Time_of_Introduction

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2008-09-08
updated Common_Consequences, Relationships, Other_Notes

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2009-03-10
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2009-07-27
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2010-12-13
updated Description

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2011-06-01
updated Common_Consequences, Other_Notes

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2012-05-11
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2013-02-21
updated Demonstrative_Examples, Description, Name, Relationship_Notes, Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2014-07-30
updated Relationships

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

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2019-09-19
updated Demonstrative_Examples

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2020-02-24
updated Relationships

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2023-01-31
updated Description

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2023-04-27
updated Modes_of_Introduction, Relationships, Time_of_Introduction

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2023-06-29
updated Mapping_Notes

CWE Content Team
MITRE
2025-12-11
4.19
2025-12-11
updated Applicable_Platforms, Weakness_Ordinalities

No OpenSSL Certificate Check Performed before Use
Trust of OpenSSL Certificate Without Validation