CWE-115 Base Incomplete

Misinterpretation of Input

This vulnerability occurs when software incorrectly interprets or processes input data, leading to unintended and potentially harmful security consequences. The flawed interpretation can come from…

Definition

What is CWE-115?

This vulnerability occurs when software incorrectly interprets or processes input data, leading to unintended and potentially harmful security consequences. The flawed interpretation can come from user-provided data, external systems, or other components.
At its core, this weakness is about a mismatch between what the software expects and how it actually handles incoming information. Instead of rejecting malformed data or processing it safely, the system assigns it the wrong meaning or context. This misinterpretation then ripples through the application logic, creating openings for attackers to manipulate behavior, bypass checks, or corrupt data. Common triggers include incorrect character encoding handling, flawed protocol parsing, or mistaken assumptions about data structure or boundaries. For developers, prevention starts with adopting a strict and consistent parsing strategy. Always validate and sanitize all input against a well-defined schema before processing. Use established libraries for complex formats (like XML, JSON, or network protocols) rather than custom parsers. Implement clear data transformation pipelines and log parsing decisions to catch discrepancies early. Assume input is malicious until proven otherwise, and design your data handling to fail securely—defaulting to a denied state when interpretation fails.
Auswirkungen in der Praxis

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-115

  • CVE-2005-2225

    Product sees dangerous file extension in free text of a group discussion, disconnects all users.

  • CVE-2001-0003

    Product does not correctly import and process security settings from another product.

Wie Angreifer es ausnutzen

Angreiferpfad Schritt für Schritt

  1. 1

    Identifiziere einen Codepfad, der nicht vertrauenswürdige Eingaben ohne Validierung verarbeitet.

  2. 2

    Erzeuge eine Payload, die das unsichere Verhalten auslöst — Injection, Traversal, Overflow oder Logik-Missbrauch.

  3. 3

    Liefere die Payload über einen normalen Request aus und beobachte die Reaktion der Anwendung.

  4. 4

    Iteriere, bis die Antwort Daten preisgibt, Angreifer-Code ausführt oder Berechtigungen eskaliert.

Verwundbares Codebeispiel

Vulnerable pseudo

MITRE hat kein Codebeispiel für diese CWE veröffentlicht. Das untenstehende Muster ist illustrativ — kanonische Referenzen findest du unter Ressourcen.

Verwundbar pseudo 
// Example pattern — see MITRE for the canonical references.
function handleRequest(input) {
  // Untrusted input flows directly into the sensitive sink.
  return executeUnsafe(input);
}
Sicheres Codebeispiel

Secure pseudo

Sicher pseudo 
// Validate, sanitize, or use a safe API before reaching the sink.
function handleRequest(input) {
  const safe = validateAndEscape(input);
  return executeWithGuards(safe);
}
What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.
Präventions-Checkliste

How to prevent CWE-115

  • Architecture Use safe-by-default frameworks and APIs that prevent the unsafe pattern from being expressible.
  • Implementation Validate input at trust boundaries; use allowlists, not denylists.
  • Implementation Apply the principle of least privilege to credentials, file paths, and runtime permissions.
  • Testing Cover this weakness in CI: SAST rules + targeted unit tests for the data flow.
  • Operation Monitor logs for the runtime signals listed in the next section.
Erkennungssignale

How to detect CWE-115

Fuzzing High

Fuzz testing (fuzzing) is a powerful technique for generating large numbers of diverse inputs - either randomly or algorithmically - and dynamically invoking the code with those inputs. Even with random inputs, it is often capable of generating unexpected results such as crashes, memory corruption, or resource consumption. Fuzzing effectively produces repeatable test cases that clearly indicate bugs, which helps developers to diagnose the issues.

Plexicus Auto-Fix

Plexicus erkennt CWE-115 automatisch und öffnet in unter 60 Sekunden einen Fix-PR.

Codex Remedium scannt jeden Commit, identifiziert genau diese Schwachstelle und liefert einen reviewer-ready Pull Request mit dem Patch. Keine Tickets. Keine Hand-offs.

Demo anfordern Plexicus kostenlos testen
Häufig gestellte Fragen

Frequently asked questions

Was ist CWE-115?

This vulnerability occurs when software incorrectly interprets or processes input data, leading to unintended and potentially harmful security consequences. The flawed interpretation can come from user-provided data, external systems, or other components.

Wie gravierend ist CWE-115?

MITRE hat für diese Schwachstelle keine Exploit-Wahrscheinlichkeit veröffentlicht. Behandle sie als mittlere Auswirkung, bis dein Threat Model anderes belegt.

Welche Sprachen oder Plattformen sind von CWE-115 betroffen?

MITRE hat für diese CWE keine betroffenen Plattformen spezifiziert — sie kann in den meisten Anwendungs-Stacks auftreten.

Wie kann ich CWE-115 verhindern?

Use safe-by-default frameworks, validate untrusted input at trust boundaries, and apply the principle of least privilege. Cover the data-flow signature in CI with SAST.

Wie erkennt und behebt Plexicus CWE-115?

Die SAST-Engine von Plexicus erkennt die Datenfluss-Signatur von CWE-115 bei jedem Commit. Bei einem Treffer öffnet unser Codex-Remedium-Agent einen Fix-PR mit korrigiertem Code, Tests und einer einzeiligen Zusammenfassung für den Reviewer.

Wo erfahre ich mehr über CWE-115?

MITRE veröffentlicht die kanonische Definition unter https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/115.html. Für ergänzende Hinweise kannst du auch die OWASP- und NIST-Dokumentation heranziehen.

Verwandte Schwachstellen

Weaknesses related to CWE-115

CWE-436 Parent

Interpretation Conflict

An interpretation conflict occurs when two systems process the same data or sequence of events differently, leading one system to make…

CWE-113 Sibling

Improper Neutralization of CRLF Sequences in HTTP Headers ('HTTP Request/Response Splitting')

This vulnerability occurs when an application accepts user-supplied data and includes it directly in HTTP headers without properly…

CWE-437 Sibling

Incomplete Model of Endpoint Features

This vulnerability occurs when a security product, proxy, or monitoring system sits between endpoints but lacks a full understanding of…

CWE-444 Sibling

Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests ('HTTP Request/Response Smuggling')

This weakness occurs when a proxy, firewall, or other intermediary HTTP agent interprets a malformed HTTP request or response differently…

CWE-626 Sibling

Null Byte Interaction Error (Poison Null Byte)

This vulnerability occurs when software incorrectly processes null bytes (NUL characters) as data moves between different systems or…

CWE-650 Sibling

Trusting HTTP Permission Methods on the Server Side

This vulnerability occurs when a server incorrectly assumes that HTTP GET requests are always safe and cannot change server-side data.…

CWE-86 Sibling

Improper Neutralization of Invalid Characters in Identifiers in Web Pages

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly filter or escape invalid characters within web identifiers like HTML tag…

Ressourcen

Further reading

Bereit, wenn du es bist

Schluss mit dem Bezahlen pro Entwickler.
Schließ den Kreislauf.

Plexicus ist die KI-native ASPM, die scannt, filtert, fixt, pentestet und erklärt — autonom. Unbegrenzte Entwickler, unbegrenzte Repos, Fair-Use-KI-Aktionen. Echter kostenloser Tarif, €269/mo jährlich, wenn du bereit bist.

Kostenlos starten Demo buchen