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Home > CWE List > CWE-263: Password Aging with Long Expiration (4.18)  
ID

CWE-263: Password Aging with Long Expiration

Weakness ID: 263
Vulnerability Mapping: DISCOURAGED This CWE ID should not be used to map to real-world vulnerabilities
Abstraction: Base Base - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource.
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+ Description
The product supports password aging, but the expiration period is too long.
+ Extended Description

Password aging (or password rotation) is a policy that forces users to change their passwords after a defined time period passes, such as every 30 or 90 days. A long expiration provides more time for attackers to conduct password cracking before users are forced to change to a new password.

Note that while password aging was once considered an important security feature, it has since fallen out of favor by many, because it is not as effective against modern threats compared to other mechanisms such as slow hashes. In addition, forcing frequent changes can unintentionally encourage users to select less-secure passwords. However, password aging is still in use due to factors such as compliance requirements, e.g., Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

+ Common Consequences
Section HelpThis table specifies different individual consequences associated with the weakness. The Scope identifies the application security area that is violated, while the Impact describes the negative technical impact that arises if an adversary succeeds in exploiting this weakness. The Likelihood provides information about how likely the specific consequence is expected to be seen relative to the other consequences in the list. For example, there may be high likelihood that a weakness will be exploited to achieve a certain impact, but a low likelihood that it will be exploited to achieve a different impact.
Impact Details

Gain Privileges or Assume Identity

Scope: Access Control

As passwords age, the probability that they are compromised grows.
+ Potential Mitigations
Phase(s) Mitigation

Implementation

Previously, "password expiration" was widely advocated as a defense-in-depth approach to minimize the risk of weak passwords, and it has become a common practice. Password expiration requires a password to be changed within a fixed time window (such as every 90 days). However, this approach has significant limitations in the current threat landscape, and its utility has been reduced in light of the adoption of related protection mechanisms (such as password complexity and computational effort), along with the recognition that regular password changes often caused users to generate more predictable passwords. As a result, this is now a Discouraged Common Practice [REF-1488] [REF-1489], especially as the sole factor in protecting passwords. It is still strongly encouraged to force password changes in case of evidence of compromise, but this is not the same as a forced "expiration" on an arbitrary time frame.

Architecture and Design

Ensure that password aging is limited so that there is a defined maximum age for passwords. Note that if the expiration window is too short, it can cause users to generate poor or predictable passwords.

Architecture and Design

Ensure that the user is notified several times leading up to the password expiration.

Architecture and Design

Create mechanisms to prevent users from reusing passwords or creating similar passwords.

Implementation

Developers might disable clipboard paste operations into password fields as a way to discourage users from pasting a password into a clipboard. However, this might encourage users to choose less-secure passwords that are easier to type, and it can reduce the usability of password managers [REF-1294].

Effectiveness: Discouraged Common Practice

+ Relationships
Section Help This table shows the weaknesses and high level categories that are related to this weakness. These relationships are defined as ChildOf, ParentOf, MemberOf and give insight to similar items that may exist at higher and lower levels of abstraction. In addition, relationships such as PeerOf and CanAlsoBe are defined to show similar weaknesses that the user may want to explore.
+ Relevant to the view "Research Concepts" (View-1000)
Nature Type ID Name
ChildOf Class Class - a weakness that is described in a very abstract fashion, typically independent of any specific language or technology. More specific than a Pillar Weakness, but more general than a Base Weakness. Class level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 1 or 2 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, and resource. 1390 Weak Authentication
+ Relevant to the view "Software Development" (View-699)
Nature Type ID Name
MemberOf Category Category - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. 255 Credentials Management Errors
+ Relevant to the view "Architectural Concepts" (View-1008)
Nature Type ID Name
MemberOf Category Category - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. 1010 Authenticate Actors
+ Modes Of Introduction
Section HelpThe different Modes of Introduction provide information about how and when this weakness may be introduced. The Phase identifies a point in the life cycle at which introduction may occur, while the Note provides a typical scenario related to introduction during the given phase.
Phase Note
Architecture and Design COMMISSION: This weakness refers to an incorrect design related to an architectural security tactic.
+ Applicable Platforms
Section HelpThis listing shows possible areas for which the given weakness could appear. These may be for specific named Languages, Operating Systems, Architectures, Paradigms, Technologies, or a class of such platforms. The platform is listed along with how frequently the given weakness appears for that instance.
Languages

Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined Prevalence)

+ Likelihood Of Exploit
Low
+ Demonstrative Examples

Example 1


A system requires the changing of passwords every five years.



+ Memberships
Section HelpThis MemberOf Relationships table shows additional CWE Categories and Views that reference this weakness as a member. This information is often useful in understanding where a weakness fits within the context of external information sources.
Nature Type ID Name
MemberOf ViewView - a subset of CWE entries that provides a way of examining CWE content. The two main view structures are Slices (flat lists) and Graphs (containing relationships between entries). 884 CWE Cross-section
MemberOf CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. 951 SFP Secondary Cluster: Insecure Authentication Policy
MemberOf CategoryCategory - a CWE entry that contains a set of other entries that share a common characteristic. 1396 Comprehensive Categorization: Access Control
+ Vulnerability Mapping Notes
Usage DISCOURAGED
(this CWE ID should not be used to map to real-world vulnerabilities)
Reason Potential Deprecation

Rationale

This CWE entry is closely related to the absence of a practice (password expiration) that is no longer widely supported as an effective protection mechanism. In addition, it might be deprecated in the future.

Comments

Consider CWEs related to the reliance on passwords or single-factor authentication, or other CWEs involving weak passwords.
+ Notes

Maintenance

Password expiration was once widely advocated (see Mitigations), but it is no longer actively supported. It might be appropriate to Deprecate this entry, or at least change it significantly so that readers can consider alternate mechanisms to protect passwords (and/or avoid passwords entirely). However, older software - and even modern software - might still need to be mapped to this weakness if the software is obsolete or not actively maintained, and expiration remains the only option.
+ Taxonomy Mappings
Mapped Taxonomy Name Node ID Fit Mapped Node Name
CLASP Allowing password aging
+ References
[REF-1488] NIST. "Digital Identity Guidelines (SP 800-63B-4)". 2025-07.
<https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-63B-4.pdf>. (URL validated: 2025-09-08)
[REF-1489] National Cyber Security Centre. "Password Guidance: Simplifying Your Approach". 2015-09-14.
<https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a806bb9e5274a2e87db9b6a/Password_guidance_-_simplifying_your_approach.pdf>. (URL validated: 2025-09-08)
[REF-44] Michael Howard, David LeBlanc and John Viega. "24 Deadly Sins of Software Security". "Sin 19: Use of Weak Password-Based Systems." Page 279. McGraw-Hill. 2010.
[REF-18] Secure Software, Inc.. "The CLASP Application Security Process". 2005.
<https://cwe.mitre.org/documents/sources/TheCLASPApplicationSecurityProcess.pdf>. (URL validated: 2024-11-17)
[REF-1305] Kurt Seifried and other members of the CWE-Research mailing list. "Discussion Thread: Time to retire CWE-262 and CWE-263". 2021-12-03.
<https://www.mail-archive.com/cwe-research-list@mitre.org/msg00018.html>. (URL validated: 2022-10-11)
[REF-1289] Lance Spitzner. "Time for Password Expiration to Die". 2021-06-27.
<https://www.sans.org/blog/time-for-password-expiration-to-die/>.
[REF-1290] Lorrie Cranor. "Time to rethink mandatory password changes". 2016-03-02.
<https://www.ftc.gov/policy/advocacy-research/tech-at-ftc/2016/03/time-rethink-mandatory-password-changes>.
[REF-1291] Eugene Spafford. "Security Myths and Passwords". 2006-04-19.
<https://www.cerias.purdue.edu/site/blog/post/password-change-myths/>.
[REF-1292] National Cyber Security Centre. "Password administration for system owners". 2018-11-19.
<https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/passwords>. (URL validated: 2023-04-07)
[REF-1293] NIST. "Digital Identity Guidelines: Authentication and Lifecycle Management(SP 800-63B)". 2017-06.
<https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-63b.pdf>. (URL validated: 2023-04-07)
[REF-1294] National Cyber Security Centre. "Let them paste passwords". 2017-01-02.
<https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20240701101110/https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/blog-post/let-them-paste-passwords>. (URL validated: 2025-08-04)
+ Content History
+ Submissions
Submission Date Submitter Organization
2006-07-19
(CWE Draft 3, 2006-07-19)
CLASP
+ Contributions
Contribution Date Contributor Organization
2021-12-03 Kurt Seifried, Chris Eng, G. Ann Campbell, Larry Shields, Jeffrey Walton, Jason Dryhurst-Smith, and other members of the CWE Community
Gave feedback on how to update CWE-262 and CWE-263 due to changing password management practices
2025-03-17
(CWE 4.18, 2025-09-09)
Camille Gouttebroze CAST Software
suggested removal of password expiration as an acceptable mitigation in CWE-521 and provided references
+ Modifications
Modification Date Modifier Organization
2025-09-09
(CWE 4.18, 2025-09-09)
CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Maintenance_Notes, Mapping_Notes, Potential_Mitigations, References
2023-06-29 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Mapping_Notes
2023-04-27 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated References, Relationships
2022-10-13 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Description, Potential_Mitigations, References, Relationships
2020-08-20 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Related_Attack_Patterns
2020-02-24 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Demonstrative_Examples, References
2017-11-08 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Applicable_Platforms, Likelihood_of_Exploit, Modes_of_Introduction, Relationships
2014-07-30 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Relationships
2012-05-11 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated References, Relationships
2011-06-27 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Common_Consequences
2011-06-01 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Common_Consequences
2011-03-29 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Description, Other_Notes, Relationships
2008-09-08 CWE Content Team MITRE
updated Common_Consequences, Relationships, Other_Notes, Taxonomy_Mappings
+ Previous Entry Names
Change Date Previous Entry Name
2008-04-11 Allowing Unchecked Password Aging
Page Last Updated: September 09, 2025