CWE-67β€”Improper Handling of Windows Device Names

PUBLISHEDweakness recordHigh
released 2006-07-19 Β· last modified 2025-09-09

Metadata

CWE ID:
CWE-67
Abstraction:
Variant
Structure:
Simple
Status:
Incomplete
Release Date:
2006-07-19
Latest Modification Date:
2025-09-09

Weakness Name

Improper Handling of Windows Device Names

Description

The product constructs pathnames from user input, but it does not handle or incorrectly handles a pathname containing a Windows device name such as AUX or CON. This typically leads to denial of service or an information exposure when the application attempts to process the pathname as a regular file.

Not properly handling virtual filenames (e.g. AUX, CON, PRN, COM1, LPT1) can result in different types of vulnerabilities. In some cases an attacker can request a device via injection of a virtual filename in a URL, which may cause an error that leads to a denial of service or an error page that reveals sensitive information. A product that allows device names to bypass filtering runs the risk of an attacker injecting malicious code in a file with the name of a device.

Common Consequences

Scope:
Availability, Confidentiality, Other
Impact:
DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart, Read Application Data, Other

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