The product does not properly encode or decode the data, resulting in unexpected values.
View on MITRENo mitigation information available for this CWE.
No detection method information available for this CWE.
Forum software improperly URL decodes the highlight parameter when extracting text to highlight, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary PHP code by double-encoding the highlight value so that special characters are inserted into the result.
View DetailsXSS protection mechanism attempts to remove "/" that could be used to close tags, but it can be bypassed using double encoded slashes (%252F)
View DetailsServer allows a remote attacker to obtain source code of ASP files via a URL encoded with Unicode.
View DetailsNo relationship information available for this CWE.
CWE-172: Encoding Error is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product does not properly encode or decode the data, resulting in unexpected values.
If exploited, CWE-172 (Encoding Error) it can compromise Integrity, leading to outcomes such as Unexpected State.
CWE-172 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-172, including CVE-2004-1315, CVE-2004-1939, CVE-2001-0709 and CVE-2005-2256. 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-172 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.