Broken Access Control
Broken Access Control is a term used in the field of computer security. It refers to a situation where a user can access data or functions they should not be able to access. This can happen because of mistakes in programming, bad configuration of systems, or a lack of proper security controls.
To understand it like a child, think of it this way: Imagine you have a toy box in your room. All your toys are inside and you only want to let your friends play with some of them. So you put a lock on the toy box to keep your friends out of the toys you don’t want them to play with.
Now imagine your friend comes over and you give them the key to the toy box. But instead of playing with only the toys you allowed them to play with, they start playing with all of them, even the ones you wanted to keep for yourself. That’s like broken access control - they have access to things they shouldn’t have access to.
In computer terms, it means that someone could access parts of a computer system or data they should not be able to access. This can lead to security breaches, data theft, or other harmful activities. That’s why it’s important to have proper access controls in place to prevent this from happening.