CWE-588: Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer

Source-backed guidance

Additional facts reviewed against primary or authoritative security sources.

Verify controls for CWE-588 with SSDF evidence

Use NIST SSDF verification and vulnerability-response practices to detect CWE-588, Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer, throughout the product lifecycle. Derive review questions, static or dynamic checks, and negative tests from the CWE's causal behavior; define the components and lifecycle stages each check covers; and retain findings with enough evidence to distinguish the root cause from symptoms and impacts. Track escapes and false negatives, then improve the verification plan after every confirmed occurrence.

NIST SP 800-218 Secure Software Development Framework — National Institute of Standards and Technology

Address Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer during Requirements

MITRE associates mitigation with Requirements, and Implementation; documented detection approaches include Automated Static Analysis; recorded impacts include Modify Memory, and DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart. Use these source-defined anchors to turn CWE-588 into implementation, review, and verification checks for the affected component.

CWE-588: Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer — MITRE CWE

Triage CWE-588 against known exploitation evidence

Use CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog to test whether a vulnerability mapped to CWE-588, Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer, has evidence of exploitation in the wild. Confirm the CVE-to-CWE root-cause mapping independently before attaching the example, then capture the affected product, required action, and remediation deadline. A missing KEV match is not evidence that the weakness is unexploited, and a KEV entry must not be generalized to every occurrence of this CWE.

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog — Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Apply precise root-cause mapping to CWE-588

Apply MITRE's full root-cause mapping guidance when using CWE-588, Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer. Separate weakness language from attacker prerequisites and technical impact, check the entry's abstraction and vulnerability-mapping notes, and prefer the most specific Base or Variant supported by the evidence. Record the rejected alternatives and require an independent review before the mapping is used for remediation trends or program metrics.

CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Guidance — MITRE CWE

Validate CWE-588 with root-cause mapping checks

Apply MITRE's root-cause mapping quick tips to CWE-588, Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer. Confirm the finding describes the causal weakness rather than an impact or attack pattern, compare the abstraction and mapping notes with plausible alternatives, and have a second reviewer challenge the selection. Preserve the evidence and reasoning so recurring defects can be measured against one consistent identifier.

CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Quick Tips — MITRE CWE

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CWE-588: Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer?+

CWE-588: Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. Casting a non-structure type to a structure type and accessing a field can lead to memory access errors or data corruption.

What are the security consequences of Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer?+

If exploited, CWE-588 (Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer) it can compromise Integrity and Availability, leading to outcomes such as Modify Memory and DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart.

How do you prevent or mitigate Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer?+

Recommended mitigations for CWE-588 include: The choice could be made to use a language that is not susceptible to these issues. Review of type casting operations can identify locations where incompatible types are cast.

Which programming languages are affected by Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer?+

CWE-588 commonly affects C and C++. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.

What are real-world examples of Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer?+

MITRE documents real CVEs mapped to CWE-588, including CVE-2021-3510. You can look up the full details of each CVE, including CVSS scores and remediation guidance, on our CVE Lookup tool.

What is the difference between a CWE and a CVE?+

A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-588 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.

CWE-588: Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer

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