CWE-148: Improper Neutralization of Input Leaders
Learn about CWE-148 (Improper Neutralization of Input Leaders), its security impact, exploitation methods, and prevention guidelines.
What is Improper Neutralization of Input Leaders?
• Overview: Improper Neutralization of Input Leaders (CWE-148) occurs when a software application fails to correctly handle leading characters or sequences in input data. This can involve missing, malformed, or excessive leaders, which can lead to unexpected behavior or security vulnerabilities.
• Exploitation Methods:
- Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting input data that bypasses input validation or parsing logic, leading to unauthorized actions or data exposure.
- Common attack patterns include using malformed or multiple leading characters to manipulate how the input is processed, potentially leading to injection attacks or bypassing security checks.
• Security Impact:
- Direct consequences of successful exploitation include unauthorized access, data corruption, or execution of unintended commands.
- Potential cascading effects involve further exploitation of the system, such as privilege escalation or spreading to connected systems.
- Business impact can be severe, including data breaches, loss of customer trust, regulatory fines, and financial loss.
• Prevention Guidelines:
- Specific code-level fixes include validating and sanitizing input data to ensure proper handling of leading characters and sequences.
- Security best practices involve implementing input validation libraries and ensuring consistent input handling across the application.
- Recommended tools and frameworks include using well-maintained libraries and frameworks that offer built-in input validation mechanisms, and employing static analysis tools to detect potential vulnerabilities in the code.
Technical Details
Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified
Affected Languages: Not specified
Affected Technologies: Not specified