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Description
The software initializes critical internal variables or data stores using inputs that can be modified by untrusted actors.
A software system should be reluctant to trust variables that have been initialized outside of its trust boundary, especially if they are initialized by users. The variables may have been initialized incorrectly. If an attacker can initialize the variable, then they can influence what the vulnerable system will do.
Modes of Introduction:
– Architecture and Design
Related Weaknesses
CWE-665
CWE-456
Consequences
Integrity: Modify Application Data
An attacker could gain access to and modify sensitive data or system information.
Potential Mitigations
Phase: Implementation
Description:
A software system should be reluctant to trust variables that have been initialized outside of its trust boundary. Ensure adequate checking (e.g. input validation) is performed when relying on input from outside a trust boundary.
Phase: Architecture and Design
Description:
Avoid any external control of variables. If necessary, restrict the variables that can be modified using an allowlist, and use a different namespace or naming convention if possible.
CVE References
- CVE-2000-0959
- Does not clear dangerous environment variables, enabling symlink attack.
- CVE-2001-0033
- Specify alternate configuration directory in environment variable, enabling untrusted path.
- CVE-2001-0084
- Specify arbitrary modules using environment variable.
