The product does not handle or incorrectly handles when a particular element is not the expected type, e.g. it expects a digit (0-9) but is provided with a letter (A-Z).
View on MITRENo mitigation information available for this CWE.
No detection method information available for this CWE.
CWE-241: Improper Handling of Unexpected Data Type is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product does not handle or incorrectly handles when a particular element is not the expected type, e.g. it expects a digit (0-9) but is provided with a letter (A-Z).
If exploited, CWE-241 (Improper Handling of Unexpected Data Type) it can compromise Integrity and Other, leading to outcomes such as Varies by Context and Unexpected State.
CWE-241 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-241, including CVE-1999-1156 and CVE-2004-0270. 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-241 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.