CWE · MITRE source
CWE-749Exposed Dangerous Method or Function
The product provides an Applications Programming Interface (API) or similar interface for interaction with external actors, but the interface includes a dangerous method or function that is not properly restricted.
This weakness can lead to a wide variety of resultant weaknesses, depending on the behavior of the exposed method. It can apply to any number of technologies and approaches, such as ActiveX controls, Java functions, IOCTLs, and so on. The exposure can occur in a few different ways:
Last updated: 09 May 2026 03:25 UTC
NIST 800-53 r5 controls that address this weakness (2)AI
| Control | Title | Family | Why it addresses this CWE |
|---|---|---|---|
CM-7 | Least Functionality | CM | Explicitly prohibiting dangerous or unnecessary functions and services prevents exposure of methods that could be directly exploited. |
SC-25 | Thin Nodes | SC | Minimal functionality removes or avoids exposure of dangerous methods and functions. |
Top CVEs of this weakness type, ranked by Risk Priority
| CVE | Risk | CVSS | EPSS | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
CVE-2010-0738 KEV | 8.6 | 5.3 | 0.9152 | 2010-04-28 |
CVE-2010-1428 KEV | 7.6 | 7.5 | 0.6761 | 2010-04-28 |
CVE-2023-27363 | 6.4 | 7.8 | 0.8101 | 2024-05-03 |
CVE-2023-38124 | 5.0 | 8.8 | 0.5376 | 2024-05-03 |
CVE-2006-1547 KEV | 4.8 | 7.5 | 0.2219 | 2006-03-30 |
CVE-2018-10931 | 4.1 | 9.8 | 0.3605 | 2018-08-09 |
CVE-2018-19322 KEV | 3.7 | 7.8 | 0.0288 | 2018-12-21 |
CVE-2025-26651 | 3.7 | 6.5 | 0.3976 | 2025-04-08 |
CVE-2021-42128 | 3.0 | 9.8 | 0.1689 | 2021-12-07 |
CVE-2021-34996 | 3.0 | 8.8 | 0.2046 | 2022-01-13 |
CVE-2023-39470 | 2.4 | 7.2 | 0.1572 | 2024-11-22 |
CVE-2023-51575 | 2.3 | 9.8 | 0.0608 | 2024-05-03 |
CVE-2023-51581 | 2.3 | 9.8 | 0.0608 | 2024-05-03 |
CVE-2023-44414 | 2.2 | 9.8 | 0.0385 | 2024-05-03 |
CVE-2023-51582 | 2.2 | 9.8 | 0.0450 | 2024-05-03 |
CVE-2014-5415 | 2.1 | 9.1 | 0.0419 | 2016-10-05 |
CVE-2020-15623 | 2.1 | 9.8 | 0.0208 | 2020-07-28 |
CVE-2023-38101 | 2.1 | 8.8 | 0.0570 | 2024-05-03 |
CVE-2023-51583 | 2.1 | 9.8 | 0.0258 | 2024-05-03 |
CVE-2025-59403 | 2.1 | 9.8 | 0.0275 | 2025-10-02 |
CVE-2019-18342 | 2.0 | 9.9 | 0.0057 | 2019-12-12 |
CVE-2020-8212 | 2.0 | 9.8 | 0.0051 | 2020-08-17 |
CVE-2020-17388 | 2.0 | 8.8 | 0.0321 | 2020-08-25 |
CVE-2021-28809 | 2.0 | 9.8 | 0.0058 | 2021-07-08 |
CVE-2022-4136 | 2.0 | 9.8 | 0.0043 | 2022-11-24 |