Vulnerability Discussion

To mitigate the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information by entities that have been issued certificates by DOD-approved PKIs, all DOD systems (e.g., networks, web servers, and web portals) must be properly configured to incorporate access control methods that do not rely solely on the possession of a certificate for access. Successful authentication must not automatically give an entity access to an asset or security boundary. Authorization procedures and controls must be implemented to ensure each authenticated entity also has a validated and current authorization. Authorization is the process of determining whether an entity, once authenticated, is permitted to access a specific asset. Information systems use access control policies and enforcement mechanisms to implement this requirement.

Access control policies include identity-based policies, role-based policies, and attribute-based policies. Access enforcement mechanisms include access control lists, access control matrices, and cryptography. These policies and mechanisms must be employed to control access between users (or processes acting on behalf of users) and objects (e.g., devices, files, records, processes, programs, and domains) in the information system.

This requirement is applicable to access control enforcement applications (e.g., authentication servers) and other applications that perform information and system access control functions.

Methods include:
- Basic Authentication (not recommended).
- API Key Authentication.
- TLS Encryption.
- OAuth 2.0.
- JWT-Based Authentication.
- OpenID Connect (OIDC).

Check

Confirm that the API enforces access control using approved authorization methods, such as token-based mechanisms (e.g., OAuth 2.0, JWT), role-based access control (RBAC), attribute-based access control (ABAC), or policy-based decisions provided by a centralized authorization service.

Ensure the configuration aligns with DOD Zero Trust Reference Architecture Capability Authorization Enforcement, which requires that systems validate access requests using dynamic and contextual authorization decisions rather than relying solely on static permissions or network location.

Review system documentation, API gateway configurations, and authorization policies to verify that access control decisions are:
- Based on real-time evaluation of user identity, role, device posture, and other attributes.
- Applied consistently across all API endpoints.
- Logged for auditing and accountability.

If the API does not implement DOD-approved, context-aware authorization mechanisms as required under Zero Trust Capability or if authorization enforcement is not documented or configured, this is a finding.

Fix

Build or configure the API to enforce access control using DOD-approved authorization mechanisms. Ensure that authorization decisions are dynamic and based on contextual factors (e.g., user role, device compliance, request attributes).

Update system documentation to reflect the authorization strategy and verify integration with access management and logging systems to meet Zero Trust Capability requirements.