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Description
The software imports, requires, or includes executable functionality (such as a library) from a source that is outside of the intended control sphere.
Modes of Introduction:
– Implementation
Likelihood of Exploit:
Related Weaknesses
CWE-669
CWE-669
Consequences
Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
An attacker could insert malicious functionality into the program by causing the program to download code that the attacker has placed into the untrusted control sphere, such as a malicious web site.
Potential Mitigations
Phase: Architecture and Design
Effectiveness:
Description:
Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
Phase: Architecture and Design
Effectiveness:
Description:
Phase: Architecture and Design
Effectiveness:
Description:
For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
Phase: Architecture and Design, Operation
Effectiveness: Limited
Description:
The effectiveness of this mitigation depends on the prevention capabilities of the specific sandbox or jail being used and might only help to reduce the scope of an attack, such as restricting the attacker to certain system calls or limiting the portion of the file system that can be accessed.
Phase: Architecture and Design, Operation
Effectiveness:
Description:
Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks [REF-76]. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.
Phase: Implementation
Effectiveness: High
Description:
Phase: Architecture and Design, Operation
Effectiveness:
Description:
Phase: Architecture and Design, Implementation
Effectiveness:
Description:
Phase: Operation
Effectiveness: Moderate
Description:
Use an application firewall that can detect attacks against this weakness. It can be beneficial in cases in which the code cannot be fixed (because it is controlled by a third party), as an emergency prevention measure while more comprehensive software assurance measures are applied, or to provide defense in depth.
An application firewall might not cover all possible input vectors. In addition, attack techniques might be available to bypass the protection mechanism, such as using malformed inputs that can still be processed by the component that receives those inputs. Depending on functionality, an application firewall might inadvertently reject or modify legitimate requests. Finally, some manual effort may be required for customization.
CVE References
- CVE-2010-2076
- Product does not properly reject DTDs in SOAP messages, which allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files, send HTTP requests to intranet servers, or cause a denial of service.
- CVE-2004-0285
- Modification of assumed-immutable configuration variable in include file allows file inclusion via direct request.
- CVE-2004-0030
- Modification of assumed-immutable configuration variable in include file allows file inclusion via direct request.
- CVE-2004-0068
- Modification of assumed-immutable configuration variable in include file allows file inclusion via direct request.
- CVE-2005-2157
- Modification of assumed-immutable configuration variable in include file allows file inclusion via direct request.
- CVE-2005-2162
- Modification of assumed-immutable configuration variable in include file allows file inclusion via direct request.
- CVE-2005-2198
- Modification of assumed-immutable configuration variable in include file allows file inclusion via direct request.
- CVE-2004-0128
- Modification of assumed-immutable variable in configuration script leads to file inclusion.
- CVE-2004-0127
- Directory traversal vulnerability in PHP include statement.
- CVE-2005-1971
- Directory traversal vulnerability in PHP include statement.
- CVE-2005-3335
- PHP file inclusion issue, both remote and local; local include uses “..” and “%00” characters as a manipulation, but many remote file inclusion issues probably have this vector.