Potential format string vulnerability

Description

Format string vulnerabilities allow an attacker to read or in some cases, potentially write data to and from locations in the processes' memory. To prevent against format string attacks, do not allow users or un-validated input to provide the format specification. Consider using a constant for the format specification, or strip all format specifiers from the input prior to calling the `snprintf` family of functions.

Examples

Insecure Code

snprintf(buffer, 100, user_input);

Secure Code

snprintf(buffer, 100, "Hello, %s!", user_input);

Remediation

Use a constant for the format specification or strip all format specifiers from the input prior to calling the `snprintf` family of functions.

Rule Details

Field	Value
ID	CODE-0591
Category	Injection
Severity	HIGH
CWE	CWE-134
Confidence	HIGH
Impact	HIGH
Likelihood	MEDIUM
Exploitability	EASY
Tags	format string vulnerability, snprintf
OWASP	A1:2017-Injection, A03:2021-Injection

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