The product accepts path input in the form of trailing dot ('filedir.') without appropriate validation, which can lead to ambiguous path resolution and allow an attacker to traverse the file system to unintended locations or access arbitrary files.
View on MITRENo mitigation information available for this CWE.
No detection method information available for this CWE.
CWE-42: Path Equivalence: 'filename.' (Trailing Dot) is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product accepts path input in the form of trailing dot ('filedir.') without appropriate validation, which can lead to ambiguous path resolution and allow an attacker to traverse the file system to unintended locations or access arbitrary files.
If exploited, CWE-42 (Path Equivalence: 'filename.' (Trailing Dot)) it can compromise Access Control, leading to outcomes such as Bypass Protection Mechanism.
CWE-42 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-42, including CVE-2000-1114, CVE-2002-1986, CVE-2004-2213, CVE-2005-3293 and CVE-2004-0061. 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-42 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.