CWE-470

Use of Externally-Controlled Input to Select Classes or Code ('Unsafe Reflection')

The product uses external input with reflection to select which classes or code to use, but it does not sufficiently prevent the input from selecting improper classes or code.

Mitigation

Phase: Architecture and Design

Description:

  • Refactor your code to avoid using reflection.
Mitigation

Phase: Architecture and Design

Description:

  • Do not use user-controlled inputs to select and load classes or code.
Mitigation

Phase: Implementation

Description:

  • Apply strict input validation by using allowlists or indirect selection to ensure that the user is only selecting allowable classes or code.
CAPEC-138: Reflection Injection

An adversary supplies a value to the target application which is then used by reflection methods to identify a class, method, or field. For example, in the Java programming language the reflection libraries permit an application to inspect, load, and invoke classes and their components by name. If an adversary can control the input into these methods including the name of the class/method/field or the parameters passed to methods, they can cause the targeted application to invoke incorrect methods, read random fields, or even to load and utilize malicious classes that the adversary created. This can lead to the application revealing sensitive information, returning incorrect results, or even having the adversary take control of the targeted application.

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