CWE-114 Classe Incomplet

Process Control

Process Control vulnerabilities occur when an application executes commands or loads libraries from an untrusted source or environment, allowing an attacker to run malicious code.

Définition

What is CWE-114?

Process Control vulnerabilities occur when an application executes commands or loads libraries from an untrusted source or environment, allowing an attacker to run malicious code.
This flaw typically manifests in two ways. First, an attacker can directly control the command string itself, often by injecting malicious input that gets passed to a system shell or execution function. Second, an attacker can manipulate the environment in which the command runs—such as the PATH variable or library search order—to change the meaning of a seemingly safe command, causing the application to load a malicious binary or script. Effectively managing this risk requires validating and sanitizing all external inputs used in execution contexts and hardening the application's runtime environment. While SAST tools can detect dangerous patterns, Plexicus uses AI to analyze your codebase and provide specific, automated remediation suggestions, helping you fix these critical security gaps efficiently across your entire application portfolio.
Impact réel

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-114

Aucune référence CVE publique n'est liée à ce CWE dans le catalogue MITRE pour le moment.

Comment les attaquants l'exploitent

Parcours de l'attaquant étape par étape

  1. 1

    The following code uses System.loadLibrary() to load code from a native library named library.dll, which is normally found in a standard system directory.

  2. 2

    The problem here is that System.loadLibrary() accepts a library name, not a path, for the library to be loaded. From the Java 1.4.2 API documentation this function behaves as follows [1]: A file containing native code is loaded from the local file system from a place where library files are conventionally obtained. The details of this process are implementation-dependent. The mapping from a library name to a specific filename is done in a system-specific manner. If an attacker is able to place a malicious copy of library.dll higher in the search order than file the application intends to load, then the application will load the malicious copy instead of the intended file. Because of the nature of the application, it runs with elevated privileges, which means the contents of the attacker's library.dll will now be run with elevated privileges, possibly giving them complete control of the system.

  3. 3

    The following code from a privileged application uses a registry entry to determine the directory in which it is installed and loads a library file based on a relative path from the specified directory.

  4. 4

    The code in this example allows an attacker to load an arbitrary library, from which code will be executed with the elevated privilege of the application, by modifying a registry key to specify a different path containing a malicious version of INITLIB. Because the program does not validate the value read from the environment, if an attacker can control the value of APPHOME, they can fool the application into running malicious code.

  5. 5

    The following code is from a web-based administration utility that allows users access to an interface through which they can update their profile on the system. The utility makes use of a library named liberty.dll, which is normally found in a standard system directory.

Exemple de code vulnérable

Vulnerable Java

The following code uses System.loadLibrary() to load code from a native library named library.dll, which is normally found in a standard system directory.

Vulnérable Java 
...
  System.loadLibrary("library.dll");
  ...
Exemple de code sécurisé

Secure pseudo

Sécurisé 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.
Liste de contrôle de prévention

How to prevent CWE-114

  • Architecture and Design Libraries that are loaded should be well understood and come from a trusted source. The application can execute code contained in the native libraries, which often contain calls that are susceptible to other security problems, such as buffer overflows or command injection. All native libraries should be validated to determine if the application requires the use of the library. It is very difficult to determine what these native libraries actually do, and the potential for malicious code is high. In addition, the potential for an inadvertent mistake in these native libraries is also high, as many are written in C or C++ and may be susceptible to buffer overflow or race condition problems. To help prevent buffer overflow attacks, validate all input to native calls for content and length. If the native library does not come from a trusted source, review the source code of the library. The library should be built from the reviewed source before using it.
Signaux de détection

How to detect CWE-114

Automated Static Analysis High

Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.)

Correction automatique Plexicus

Plexicus détecte automatiquement CWE-114 et ouvre une PR de correction en moins de 60 secondes.

Codex Remedium analyse chaque commit, identifie cette faiblesse précise et livre une pull request prête à être relue avec le correctif. Pas de tickets. Pas de transferts.

Obtenir une démo Essayer Plexicus gratuitement
Questions fréquentes

Frequently asked questions

Qu'est-ce que CWE-114 ?

Process Control vulnerabilities occur when an application executes commands or loads libraries from an untrusted source or environment, allowing an attacker to run malicious code.

Quelle est la gravité de CWE-114 ?

MITRE n'a pas publié de note de probabilité d'exploitation pour cette faiblesse. Traitez-la comme un impact moyen jusqu'à ce que votre modèle de menace prouve le contraire.

Quels langages ou plateformes sont affectés par CWE-114 ?

MITRE n'a pas spécifié les plateformes affectées pour ce CWE — il peut s'appliquer à la plupart des stacks applicatives.

Comment puis-je prévenir CWE-114 ?

Libraries that are loaded should be well understood and come from a trusted source. The application can execute code contained in the native libraries, which often contain calls that are susceptible to other security problems, such as buffer overflows or command injection. All native libraries should be validated to determine if the application requires the use of the library. It is very difficult to determine what these native libraries actually do, and the potential for malicious code is…

Comment Plexicus détecte et corrige CWE-114 ?

Le moteur SAST de Plexicus reconnaît la signature de flux de données de CWE-114 à chaque commit. Lorsqu'une correspondance est trouvée, notre agent Codex Remedium ouvre une PR de correction avec le code corrigé, les tests et un résumé d'une ligne pour le relecteur.

Où puis-je en savoir plus sur CWE-114 ?

MITRE publie la définition canonique à https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/114.html. Vous pouvez également consulter la documentation OWASP et NIST pour des conseils adjacents.

Faiblesses associées

Weaknesses related to CWE-114

CWE-73 Parent

External Control of File Name or Path

This vulnerability occurs when an application uses unvalidated user input to construct file or directory paths for filesystem operations.

Ressources

Further reading

Prêt quand vous l'êtes

Arrêtez de payer par développeur.
Commencez à fermer la boucle.

Plexicus est l'ASPM natif IA qui scanne, filtre, corrige, penteste et explique — de façon autonome. Développeurs illimités, dépôts illimités, actions IA à usage équitable. Vrai niveau gratuit, €269/mo annuel quand vous êtes prêt.

Commencer gratuitement Réserver une démo