CWE-187
Notifications for a CWE
Stay informed of any changes for a specific CWE.
Name: Partial String Comparison
The product performs a comparison that only examines a portion of a factor before determining whether there is a match, such as a substring, leading to resultant weaknesses.
CWE Description
For example, an attacker might succeed in authentication by providing a small password that matches the associated portion of the larger, correct password.
General Informations
Modes Of Introduction
ImplementationApplicable Platforms
Language
Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined)Common Consequences
| Scope | Impact | Likelihood |
|---|---|---|
| Integrity Access Control | Alter Execution Logic, Bypass Protection Mechanism |
Observed Examples
| References | Description |
|---|---|
CVE-2014-6394 | Product does not prevent access to restricted directories due to partial string comparison with a public directory |
CVE-2004-1012 | Argument parser of an IMAP server treats a partial command "body[p" as if it is "body.peek", leading to index error and out-of-bounds corruption. |
CVE-2004-0765 | Web browser only checks the hostname portion of a certificate when the hostname portion of the URI is not a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), which allows remote attackers to spoof trusted certificates. |
CVE-2002-1374 | One-character password by attacker checks only against first character of real password. |
CVE-2000-0979 | One-character password by attacker checks only against first character of real password. |
Potential Mitigations
Phases : TestingThoroughly test the comparison scheme before deploying code into production. Perform positive testing as well as negative testing.
Vulnerability Mapping Notes
Justification : This CWE entry is at the Variant level of abstraction, which is a preferred level of abstraction for mapping to the root causes of vulnerabilities.Comment : Carefully read both the name and description to ensure that this mapping is an appropriate fit. Do not try to 'force' a mapping to a lower-level Base/Variant simply to comply with this preferred level of abstraction.
NotesNotes
This is conceptually similar to other weaknesses, such as insufficient verification and regular expression errors. It is primary to some weaknesses.Submission
| Name | Organization | Date | Date release | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLOVER | Draft 3 |
Modifications
| Name | Organization | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Dalci | Cigital | updated Potential_Mitigations, Time_of_Introduction | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Description, Relationships, Other_Notes, Taxonomy_Mappings, Weakness_Ordinalities | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Demonstrative_Examples, Observed_Examples, Other_Notes, Relationship_Notes | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Common_Consequences, Demonstrative_Examples | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Common_Consequences | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Potential_Mitigations | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Applicable_Platforms | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Name, Observed_Examples, Relationships, Type | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Description | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Mapping_Notes |
