CWE-75: Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection)

Source-backed guidance

Additional facts reviewed against primary or authoritative security sources.

Verify controls for CWE-75 with SSDF evidence

Use NIST SSDF verification and vulnerability-response practices to detect CWE-75, Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection), 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 Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection) during Requirements

MITRE associates mitigation with Requirements, and Implementation; recorded impacts include Modify Application Data, and Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; the entry maps to CAPEC-81, and CAPEC-93. Use these source-defined anchors to turn CWE-75 into implementation, review, and verification checks for the affected component.

CWE-75: Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection) — MITRE CWE

Triage CWE-75 against known exploitation evidence

Use CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog to test whether a vulnerability mapped to CWE-75, Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection), 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-75

Apply MITRE's full root-cause mapping guidance when using CWE-75, Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection). 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-75 with root-cause mapping checks

Apply MITRE's root-cause mapping quick tips to CWE-75, Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection). 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-75: Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection)?+

CWE-75: Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection) is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product does not adequately filter user-controlled input for special elements with control implications.

What are the security consequences of Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection)?+

If exploited, CWE-75 (Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection)) it can compromise Integrity, Confidentiality and Availability, leading to outcomes such as Modify Application Data and Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands.

How do you prevent or mitigate Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection)?+

Recommended mitigations for CWE-75 include: Programming languages and supporting technologies might be chosen which are not subject to these issues. Utilize an appropriate mix of allowlist and denylist parsing to filter special element syntax from all input.

Which programming languages are affected by Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection)?+

CWE-75 commonly affects Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.

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

A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-75 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-75: Failure to Sanitize Special Elements into a Different Plane (Special Element Injection)

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