CWE-1048: Invokable Control Element with Large Number of Outward Calls

What is Invokable Control Element with Large Number of Outward Calls?

• Overview: Invokable Control Element with Large Number of Outward Calls (CWE-1048) occurs when a piece of code has too many references to other parts of the application, leading to complex interdependencies that can complicate maintenance and increase the risk of vulnerabilities.

• Exploitation Methods:

• Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by understanding and manipulating the complex dependencies to introduce faults.
• Common attack patterns include injecting malicious code into one of the many referenced objects or causing logic errors that the excessive calls might mask.

• Security Impact:

• Direct consequences include increased difficulty in maintaining the code and identifying vulnerabilities.
• Potential cascading effects involve the accidental introduction of vulnerabilities due to changes in one component affecting many others.
• Business impact includes higher maintenance costs and increased risk of security breaches due to complexity.

• Prevention Guidelines:

• Specific code-level fixes involve reducing the number of outward calls a function or module makes, ideally adhering to the recommended limit of 5 or fewer.
• Security best practices include modular design principles, ensuring each component has a well-defined and limited scope.
• Recommended tools and frameworks include static analysis tools that can identify high fan-out values and suggest refactoring opportunities, as well as architectural reviews to ensure adherence to design principles.

Corgea can automatically detect and fix Invokable Control Element with Large Number of Outward Calls in your codebase. Try Corgea free today.

Technical Details

Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified

Affected Languages: Not specified

Affected Technologies: Not specified