CWE-48 – Path Equivalence: ‘file name’ (Internal Whitespace)

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Description

A software system that accepts path input in the form of internal space (‘file(SPACE)name’) without appropriate validation can lead to ambiguous path resolution and allow an attacker to traverse the file system to unintended locations or access arbitrary files.

Modes of Introduction:

– Implementation

 

 

Related Weaknesses

CWE-41

 

Consequences

Confidentiality, Integrity: Read Files or Directories, Modify Files or Directories

 

Potential Mitigations

CVE References

  • CVE-2000-0293
    • Filenames with spaces allow arbitrary file deletion when the product does not properly quote them; some overlap with path traversal.
  • CVE-2001-1567
    • “+” characters in query string converted to spaces before sensitive file/extension (internal space), leading to bypass of access restrictions to the file.