CWE-470 - Use of Externally-Controlled Input to Select Classes or Code ('Unsafe Reflection')

CWE ID:

CWE-470

Abstraction:Base
Structure:Simple
Status:Draft

Release Date:2006-07-19
Latest Modification Date:2023-10-26

Weakness Name

Use of Externally-Controlled Input to Select Classes or Code ('Unsafe Reflection')

Description

The product uses external input with reflection to select which classes or code to use, but it does not sufficiently prevent the input from selecting improper classes or code.

If the product uses external inputs to determine which class to instantiate or which method to invoke, then an attacker could supply values to select unexpected classes or methods. If this occurs, then the attacker could create control flow paths that were not intended by the developer. These paths could bypass authentication or access control checks, or otherwise cause the product to behave in an unexpected manner. This situation becomes a doomsday scenario if the attacker can upload files into a location that appears on the product's classpath (CWE-427) or add new entries to the product's classpath (CWE-426). Under either of these conditions, the attacker can use reflection to introduce new, malicious behavior into the product.

Common Consequences

Scope: Integrity, Confidentiality, Availability, Other

Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands, Alter Execution Logic

Notes: The attacker might be able to execute code that is not directly accessible to the attacker. Alternately, the attacker could call unexpected code in the wrong place or the wrong time, possibly modifying critical system state.

Scope: Availability, Other

Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart, Other

Notes: The attacker might be able to use reflection to call the wrong code, possibly with unexpected arguments that violate the API (CWE-227). This could cause the product to exit or hang.

Scope: Confidentiality

Impact: Read Application Data

Notes: By causing the wrong code to be invoked, the attacker might be able to trigger a runtime error that leaks sensitive information in the error message, such as CWE-536.