CWE Database
/

CWE-436

Back to CWE list

CWE-436

Interpretation Conflict

Class
Incomplete

Description

Product A handles inputs or steps differently than Product B, which causes A to perform incorrect actions based on its perception of B's state.

This is generally found in proxies, firewalls, anti-virus software, and other intermediary devices that monitor, allow, deny, or modify traffic based on how the client or server is expected to behave.

Common Consequences

Scope

Integrity
Other

Impact

Unexpected State, Varies by Context

CVE-2005-1215

Bypass filters or poison web cache using requests with multiple Content-Length headers, a non-standard behavior.

CVE-2002-0485

Anti-virus product allows bypass via Content-Type and Content-Disposition headers that are mixed case, which are still processed by some clients.

CVE-2002-1978

FTP clients sending a command with "PASV" in the argument can cause firewalls to misinterpret the server's error as a valid response, allowing filter bypass.

CVE-2002-1979

FTP clients sending a command with "PASV" in the argument can cause firewalls to misinterpret the server's error as a valid response, allowing filter bypass.

CVE-2002-0637

Virus product bypass with spaces between MIME header fields and the ":" separator, a non-standard message that is accepted by some clients.

CVE-2002-1777

AV product detection bypass using inconsistency manipulation (file extension in MIME Content-Type vs. Content-Disposition field).

CVE-2005-3310

CMS system allows uploads of files with GIF/JPG extensions, but if they contain HTML, Internet Explorer renders them as HTML instead of images.

CVE-2005-4260

Interpretation conflict allows XSS via invalid "<" when a ">" is expected, which is treated as ">" by many web browsers.

CVE-2005-4080

Interpretation conflict (non-standard behavior) enables XSS because browser ignores invalid characters in the middle of tags.

Applicable Platforms

Not Language-Specific

Security Training

Train your team to recognize and prevent security threats with our comprehensive security awareness program.

Start Training

Vulnerability Scanning

Discover vulnerabilities in your applications and infrastructure before attackers do.

Scan Now