The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not handle or incorrectly handles when an additional unexpected special element is provided.
View on MITREDevelopers should anticipate that extra special elements will be injected 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.
No detection method information available for this CWE.
CWE-167: Improper Handling of Additional Special Element is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not handle or incorrectly handles when an additional unexpected special element is provided.
If exploited, CWE-167 (Improper Handling of Additional Special Element) it can compromise Integrity, leading to outcomes such as Unexpected State.
Recommended mitigations for CWE-167 include: Developers should anticipate that extra special elements will be injected 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.
CWE-167 commonly affects Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.
MITRE documents real CVEs mapped to CWE-167, including CVE-2000-0116, CVE-2001-1157 and CVE-2002-2086. You can look up the full details of each CVE, including CVSS scores and remediation guidance, on our CVE Lookup tool.
A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-167 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.