Integer Attacks
Attack Pattern ID: 128 (Standard Attack Pattern Completeness: Stub)Typical Severity: MediumStatus: Draft
+ Description

Summary

An attacker takes advantage of the structure of integer variables to cause these variables to assume values that are not expected by an application. For example, adding one to the largest positive integer in a signed integer variable results in a negative number. Negative numbers may be illegal in an application and the application may prevent an attacker from providing them directly, but the application may not consider that adding two positive numbers can create a negative number do to the structure of integer storage formats.

+ Attack Prerequisites

The target application must have an integer variable for which only some of the possible integer values are expected by the application and where there are no checks on the value of the variable before use.

The attacker must be able to manipulate the targeted integer variable such that normal operations result in non-standard values due to the storage structure of integers.

+ Resources Required

No special resources are required.

+ Related Weaknesses
CWE-IDWeakness NameWeakness Relationship Type
682Incorrect CalculationTargeted
+ Related Attack Patterns
NatureTypeIDNameDescriptionView(s) this relationship pertains toView\(s\)
ChildOfCategoryCategory255Data Structure Attacks 
Mechanism of Attack (primary)1000
ChildOfCategoryCategory336WASC Threat Classification 2.0 - WASC-03 - Integer Overflows 
WASC Threat Classification 2.0333
ParentOfAttack PatternAttack Pattern92Forced Integer Overflow 
Mechanism of Attack (primary)1000