CWE-306 Missing Authentication for Critical Function

Description

Missing Authentication for Critical Function

Reference: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/306.html

OWASP Category: A07:2021 – Identification and Authentication Failures

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Vulnerable Pattern

❌ Example 1: Vulnerable Pattern

// VULNERABLE: Sensitive operation without auth
@PostMapping("/user/delete/{id}")
public void deleteUser(@PathVariable Long id) {
    userRepository.deleteById(id);
}

Why it's vulnerable: This pattern is vulnerable to Missing Authentication for Critical Function

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Deterministic Fix

✅ Secure Implementation: Secure Implementation

// SECURE: Require authentication and authorization
@PostMapping("/user/delete/{id}")
@PreAuthorize("hasRole('ADMIN')")
public void deleteUser(@PathVariable Long id, @AuthenticationPrincipal User user) {
    auditService.log("User deletion by " + user.getUsername());
    userRepository.deleteById(id);
}

Why it's secure: Implements proper protection against Missing Authentication for Critical Function

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Detection Pattern

Look for these patterns in your codebase:

# Find delete/update operations without auth
grep -rn "delete\\|update\\|create" --include="*Controller.java" | grep -v "PreAuthorize\\|Secured"

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Remediation Steps

1. Identify all critical functions

2. Add authentication requirements to each

3. Implement role-based access control

4. Log all critical operations

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Key Imports

import org.springframework.security.access.prepost.PreAuthorize;

import org.springframework.security.core.annotation.AuthenticationPrincipal;

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Verification

After remediation:

• Run SAST scanner to confirm vulnerability is resolved

• Review all instances of the vulnerable pattern

• Add unit tests that verify the secure implementation

• Check for similar patterns in related code

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Trigger Examples

Fix CWE-306 vulnerability
Resolve Missing Authentication for Critical Function issue
Secure this Java code against missing authentication for critical function
SAST reports CWE-306

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Common Vulnerable Locations

Layer	Files	Patterns

| Controller | *Controller.java | User input handling |

| Service | *Service.java | Business logic |

| Repository | *Repository.java | Data access |

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References

• CWE-306: Missing Authentication

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Source: Generated by Java CWE Security Skills Generator Last Updated: 2026-03-07