Struts: Duplicate Validation Forms
Weakness ID: 102 (Weakness Variant)Status: Incomplete
+ Description

Description Summary

The application uses multiple validation forms with the same name, which might cause the Struts Validator to validate a form that the programmer does not expect.

Extended Description

If two validation forms have the same name, the Struts Validator arbitrarily chooses one of the forms to use for input validation and discards the other. This decision might not correspond to the programmer's expectations, possibly leading to resultant weaknesses. Moreover, it indicates that the validation logic is not up-to-date, and can indicate that other, more subtle validation errors are present.

+ Time of Introduction
  • Implementation
+ Applicable Platforms

Languages

Java

+ Common Consequences
ScopeEffect
Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability

If a J2EE application interfaces with native code that does not perform array bounds checking, an attacker may be able to use an input validation mistake in the J2EE application to launch a buffer overflow attack.

+ Demonstrative Examples

Example 1

Two validation forms with the same name.

(Bad Code)
Example Language: XML 
<form-validation>
<formset>
<form name="ProjectForm"> ... </form>
<form name="ProjectForm"> ... </form>
</formset>
</form-validation>

It is critically important that validation logic be maintained and kept in sync with the rest of the application.

+ Potential Mitigations

Phase: Implementation

The DTD or schema validation will not catch the duplicate occurrence of the same form name. To find the issue in the implementation, manual checks or automated static analysis could be applied to the xml configuration files.

+ Background Details

Unchecked input is the root cause of some of today's worst and most common software security problems. Cross-site scripting, SQL injection, and process control vulnerabilities can all stem from incomplete or absent input validation.

+ Weakness Ordinalities
OrdinalityDescription
Primary
(where the weakness exists independent of other weaknesses)
+ Relationships
NatureTypeIDNameView(s) this relationship pertains toView(s)
ChildOfWeakness ClassWeakness Class20Improper Input Validation
Seven Pernicious Kingdoms (primary)700
ChildOfCategoryCategory101Struts Validation Problems
Development Concepts (primary)699
ChildOfWeakness BaseWeakness Base694Use of Multiple Resources with Duplicate Identifier
Research Concepts (primary)1000
ChildOfCategoryCategory722OWASP Top Ten 2004 Category A1 - Unvalidated Input
Weaknesses in OWASP Top Ten (2004) (primary)711
PeerOfWeakness ClassWeakness Class675Duplicate Operations on Resource
Research Concepts1000
+ Causal Nature

Explicit

+ Taxonomy Mappings
Mapped Taxonomy NameNode IDFitMapped Node Name
7 Pernicious KingdomsStruts: Duplicate Validation Forms
+ Content History
Submissions
Submission DateSubmitterOrganizationSource
7 Pernicious KingdomsExternally Mined
Modifications
Modification DateModifierOrganizationSource
2008-07-01Eric DalciCigitalExternal
updated Demonstrative Example, Potential Mitigations, Time of Introduction
2008-09-08CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Relationships, Other Notes, Taxonomy Mappings, Weakness Ordinalities
2008-10-14CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Description, Other Notes, Potential Mitigations
2009-03-10CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Relationships
2009-07-27CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Demonstrative Examples
2009-12-28CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Background Details, Common Consequences, Other Notes
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