The product validates input before it is canonicalized, which prevents the product from detecting data that becomes invalid after the canonicalization step.
View on MITREThis can be used by an attacker to bypass the validation and launch attacks that expose weaknesses that would otherwise be prevented, such as injection.
No mitigation information available for this CWE.
No detection method information available for this CWE.
The following code attempts to validate a given input path by checking it against an allowlist and then return the canonical path. In this specific case, the path is considered valid if it starts with the string "/safe_dir/".
The problem with the above code is that the validation step occurs before canonicalization occurs. An attacker could provide an input path of "/safe_dir/../" that would pass the validation step. However, the canonicalization process sees the double dot as a traversal to the parent directory and hence when canonicized the path would become just "/".
The following code attempts to validate a given input path by checking it against an allowlist and then return the canonical path. In this specific case, the path is considered valid if it starts with the string "/safe_dir/".
The problem with the above code is that the validation step occurs before canonicalization occurs. An attacker could provide an input path of "/safe_dir/../" that would pass the validation step. However, the canonicalization process sees the double dot as a traversal to the parent directory and hence when canonicized the path would become just "/".
Product allows remote attackers to view restricted files via an HTTP request containing a "*" (wildcard or asterisk) character.
View DetailsProduct modifies the first two letters of a filename extension after performing a security check, which allows remote attackers to bypass authentication via a filename with a .ats extension instead of a .hts extension.
View DetailsDatabase consumes an extra character when processing a character that cannot be converted, which could remove an escape character from the query and make the application subject to SQL injection attacks.
View DetailsProduct checks URI for "<" and other literal characters, but does it before hex decoding the URI, so "%3E" and other sequences are allowed.
View DetailsCWE-180: Incorrect Behavior Order: Validate Before Canonicalize is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product validates input before it is canonicalized, which prevents the product from detecting data that becomes invalid after the canonicalization step. This can be used by an attacker to bypass the validation and launch attacks that expose weaknesses that would otherwise be prevented, such as injection.
If exploited, CWE-180 (Incorrect Behavior Order: Validate Before Canonicalize) it can compromise Access Control, leading to outcomes such as Bypass Protection Mechanism.
CWE-180 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-180, including CVE-2002-0433, CVE-2003-0332, CVE-2002-0802, CVE-2000-0191 and CVE-2004-2363. 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-180 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.