Workflow order or approval bypass
An actor can complete a protected workflow without its required prior approval or immutable conditions.
Candidate CWE: CWE-841
Test hypothesis#
Write the normal transition table. On a fresh controlled object, send the observed completion request before approval or alter one field that must be frozen after approval. Compare a valid sequence. If state changes arrive as integration events, deliver two legitimate sandbox events in reverse order and check that an older event cannot restore a revoked privilege.
Evidence required#
The forbidden transition commits and changes a documented security/business outcome. Save state before and after, actor rights, exact sequence, and cleanup.
Rule out false positives#
Skipping optional UI pages, editable fields allowed by policy, and a success page without committed effect are not sufficient.
Playbook and command references#
- Workflow invariants, replay, idempotency, and races — Find security consequences in workflow ordering and concurrency, with serial controls and durable-state evidence.
- Object, function, and property authorization — Turn identities, tenants, objects, roles, and lifecycle transitions into a reproducible permission matrix.
- Webhooks and integration events: authenticity, tenant binding and replay — Verify the event signature, provider-to-tenant binding and durable worker effect together across retries and out-of-order delivery.
Find the associated command snippets
Referenced by these target playbooks#
Report checklist#
- Capture the affected version, configuration, identities, and object ownership.
- Preserve a valid baseline and a negative control.
- Reproduce the forbidden data access, action, or state change on controlled fixtures.
- Explain the intended security rule and why the observed behavior violates it.
- State prerequisites, uncertainty, cleanup, and the smallest demonstrated impact.
Conditional ATT&CK mapping#
No direct ATT&CK mapping selected. Record the weakness and demonstrated impact without forcing an adversary-behavior classification. See the mapping guide.