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CWE-472

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CWE-472

External Control of Assumed-Immutable Web Parameter

Base
Draft

Description

The web application does not sufficiently verify inputs that are assumed to be immutable but are actually externally controllable, such as hidden form fields.

{"xhtml:p":["If a web product does not properly protect assumed-immutable values from modification in hidden form fields, parameters, cookies, or URLs, this can lead to modification of critical data. Web applications often mistakenly make the assumption that data passed to the client in hidden fields or cookies is not susceptible to tampering. Improper validation of data that are user-controllable can lead to the application processing incorrect, and often malicious, input.","For example, custom cookies commonly store session data or persistent data across sessions. This kind of session data is normally involved in security related decisions on the server side, such as user authentication and access control. Thus, the cookies might contain sensitive data such as user credentials and privileges. This is a dangerous practice, as it can often lead to improper reliance on the value of the client-provided cookie by the server side application."]}

Common Consequences

Scope

Integrity

Impact

Modify Application Data

Potential Mitigations

Implementation

Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does. When performing input validation, consider all potentially relevant properties, including length, type of input, the full range of acceptable values, missing or extra inputs, syntax, consistency across related fields, and conformance to business rules. As an example of business rule logic, "boat" may be syntactically valid because it only contains alphanumeric characters, but it is not valid if the input is only expected to contain colors such as "red" or "blue." Do not rely exclusively on looking for malicious or malformed inputs. This is likely to miss at least one undesirable input, especially if the code's environment changes. This can give attackers enough room to bypass the intended validation. However, denylists can be useful for detecting potential attacks or determining which inputs are so malformed that they should be rejected outright.

Implementation

Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174). Such errors could be used to bypass allowlist validation schemes by introducing dangerous inputs after they have been checked.

CVE-2002-0108

Forum product allows spoofed messages of other users via hidden form fields for name and e-mail address.

CVE-2000-0253

Shopping cart allows price modification via hidden form field.

CVE-2000-0254

Shopping cart allows price modification via hidden form field.

CVE-2000-0926

Shopping cart allows price modification via hidden form field.

CVE-2000-0101

Shopping cart allows price modification via hidden form field.

CVE-2000-0102

Shopping cart allows price modification via hidden form field.

CVE-2000-0758

Allows admin access by modifying value of form field.

CVE-2002-1880

Read messages by modifying message ID parameter.

CVE-2000-1234

Send email to arbitrary users by modifying email parameter.

CVE-2005-1652

Authentication bypass by setting a parameter.

+3 more examples

Applicable Platforms

Not Language-Specific

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