Official definition

The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component. (Roles: Common-Name, Attack-Focused)

Characteristics

Alternate terms

Injection

Modes of introduction

Implementation: REALIZATION: This weakness is caused during implementation of an architectural security tactic.

Common consequences

Impact	Scope	Explanation
Read Application Data	Confidentiality	Many injection attacks involve the disclosure of important information -- in terms of both data sensitivity and usefulness in further exploitation.
Bypass Protection Mechanism	Access Control	In some cases, injectable code controls authentication; this may lead to a remote vulnerability.
Alter Execution Logic	Other	Injection attacks are characterized by the ability to significantly change the flow of a given process, and in some cases, to the execution of arbitrary code.
Other	Integrity, Other	Data injection attacks lead to loss of data integrity in nearly all cases as the control-plane data injected is always incidental to data recall or writing.
Hide Activities	Non-Repudiation	Often the actions performed by injected control code are unlogged.

Risk mitigations

RequirementsProgramming languages and supporting technologies might be chosen which are not subject to these issues.
ImplementationUtilize an appropriate mix of allowlist and denylist parsing to filter control-plane syntax from all input.

Detection methods

Method	Approach	Effectiveness
Automated Static Analysis	Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.)	High

Representative vulnerabilities

Below are representative vulnerabilities related to this CWE, prioritized by severity.

Sources (2)

MITRE CWE

CWE Terms of Use

CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component

What is CWE-74?

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Vulnerabilities mapped to CWE-74

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Official definition

Characteristics

Alternate terms

Modes of introduction

Common consequences

Risk mitigations

Detection methods

Representative vulnerabilities

Supporting documents

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