CWE-151: Improper Neutralization of Comment Delimiters

VariantDraft

The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as comment delimiters when they are sent to a downstream component.

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Technical Details

Structure
Simple

Applicable To

Languages
Not Language-Specific
Platforms

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CWE-151: Improper Neutralization of Comment Delimiters?+

CWE-151: Improper Neutralization of Comment Delimiters is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as comment delimiters when they are sent to a downstream component.

What are the security consequences of Improper Neutralization of Comment Delimiters?+

If exploited, CWE-151 (Improper Neutralization of Comment Delimiters) it can compromise Integrity, leading to outcomes such as Unexpected State.

How do you prevent or mitigate Improper Neutralization of Comment Delimiters?+

Recommended mitigations for CWE-151 include: Developers should anticipate that comments will be injected/removed/manipulated in the input vectors of their product. Use an appropriate combination of denylists and allowlists to ensure only valid, expected and appropriate input is processed by the system.

Which programming languages are affected by Improper Neutralization of Comment Delimiters?+

CWE-151 commonly affects Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.

What are real-world examples of Improper Neutralization of Comment Delimiters?+

MITRE documents real CVEs mapped to CWE-151, including CVE-2002-0001, CVE-2004-0162, CVE-2004-1686, CVE-2005-1909 and CVE-2005-1969. You can look up the full details of each CVE, including CVSS scores and remediation guidance, on our CVE Lookup tool.

What is the difference between a CWE and a CVE?+

A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-151 describes a category of software weakness — the underlying flaw type. A CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) identifies a specific, real-world vulnerability in a particular product. In short, a CWE is the kind of mistake, and a CVE is an instance of that mistake being found in software.

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