CWE-822: Untrusted Pointer Dereference

How it's found

Untrusted Pointer Dereference is typically found by tracing untrusted input from where it enters the system to the point where it is used without the check or neutralization this weakness describes, combining manual code review with dynamic testing.

An attacker can supply a pointer for memory locations that the product is not expecting. If the pointer is dereferenced for a write operation, the attack might allow modification of critical state variables, cause a crash, or execute code. If the dereferencing operation is for a read, then the attack might allow reading of sensitive data, cause a crash, or set a variable to an unexpected value (since the value will be read from an unexpected memory location). There are several variants of this weakness, including but not necessarily limited to:The untrusted value is directly invoked as a function call. In OS kernels or drivers where there is a boundary between "userland" and privileged memory spaces, an untrusted pointer might enter through an API or system call (see CWE-781 for one such example). Inadvertently accepting the value from an untrusted control sphere when it did not have to be accepted as input at all. This might occur when the code was originally developed to be run by a single user in a non-networked environment, and the code is then ported to or otherwise exposed to a networked environment.

Consequences

• Read Memory: If the untrusted pointer is used in a read operation, an attacker might be able to read sensitive portions of memory.
• DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart: If the untrusted pointer references a memory location that is not accessible to the product, or points to a location that is "malformed" or larger than expected by a read or write operation, the application may terminate unexpectedly.
• Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands, Modify Memory: If the untrusted pointer is used in a function call, or points to unexpected data in a write operation, then code execution may be possible.

Where this fits in a TurboPentest engagement

TurboPentest's agentic pentest is powerful and covers a broad range of issues automatically. This particular class is best confirmed in a manual IntegSec engagement, where human pentesters apply deeper methodology and a larger context window than any automated pass.

Frequently asked questions

Related CWEs

• Class weakness
  CWE-119: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer