CWE-107: Struts: Unused Validation Form
Presentation Filter:
It is easy for developers to forget to update validation logic when they remove or rename action form mappings. One indication that validation logic is not being properly maintained is the presence of an unused validation form. The table(s) below shows the weaknesses and high level categories that are related to this weakness. These relationships are defined as ChildOf, ParentOf, MemberOf and give insight to similar items that may exist at higher and lower levels of abstraction. In addition, relationships such as PeerOf and CanAlsoBe are defined to show similar weaknesses that the user may want to explore. ![]()
![]()
The different Modes of Introduction provide information about how and when this weakness may be introduced. The Phase identifies a point in the life cycle at which introduction may occur, while the Note provides a typical scenario related to introduction during the given phase.
The listings below show possible areas for which the given weakness could appear. These may be for specific named Languages, Operating Systems, Architectures, Paradigms, Technologies, or a class of such platforms. The platform is listed along with how frequently the given weakness appears for that instance. Languages Java (Undetermined Prevalence) The table below specifies different individual consequences associated with the weakness. The Scope identifies the application security area that is violated, while the Impact describes the negative technical impact that arises if an adversary succeeds in exploiting this weakness. The Likelihood provides information about how likely the specific consequence is expected to be seen relative to the other consequences in the list. For example, there may be high likelihood that a weakness will be exploited to achieve a certain impact, but a low likelihood that it will be exploited to achieve a different impact.
Example 1 In the following example the class RegistrationForm is a Struts framework ActionForm Bean that will maintain user input data from a registration webpage for an online business site. The user will enter registration data and, through the Struts framework, the RegistrationForm bean will maintain the user data in the form fields using the private member variables. The RegistrationForm class uses the Struts validation capability by extending the ValidatorForm class and including the validation for the form fields within the validator XML file, validator.xml. (bad code) Example Language: Java public class RegistrationForm extends org.apache.struts.validator.ValidatorForm {
// private variables for registration form private String name; private String address; private String city; private String state; private String zipcode; // no longer using the phone form field // private String phone; private String email; public RegistrationForm() { super(); }// getter and setter methods for private variables ... (bad code) Example Language: XML <form-validation>
<formset>
<form name="RegistrationForm">
<field property="name" depends="required">
<arg position="0" key="prompt.name"/> </field><field property="address" depends="required"> <arg position="0" key="prompt.address"/> </field><field property="city" depends="required"> <arg position="0" key="prompt.city"/> </field><field property="state" depends="required,mask"> <arg position="0" key="prompt.state"/> </field><var> <var-name>mask</var-name> </var><var-value>[a-zA-Z]{2}</var-value> <field property="zipcode" depends="required,mask"> <arg position="0" key="prompt.zipcode"/> </field><var> <var-name>mask</var-name> </var><var-value>\d{5}</var-value> <field property="phone" depends="required,mask"> <arg position="0" key="prompt.phone"/> </field><var> <var-name>mask</var-name> </var><var-value>^([0-9]{3})(-)([0-9]{4}|[0-9]{4})$</var-value> <field property="email" depends="required,email"> <arg position="0" key="prompt.email"/> </field>However, the validator XML file, validator.xml, for the RegistrationForm class includes the validation form for the user input form field "phone" that is no longer used by the input form and the RegistrationForm class. Any validation forms that are no longer required should be removed from the validator XML file, validator.xml. The existence of unused forms may be an indication to attackers that this code is out of date or poorly maintained.
This MemberOf Relationships table shows additional CWE Categories and Views that reference this weakness as a member. This information is often useful in understanding where a weakness fits within the context of external information sources.
More information is available — Please select a different filter. |
Use of the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) and the associated references from this website are subject to the Terms of Use. CWE is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and managed by the Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (HSSEDI) which is operated by The MITRE Corporation (MITRE). Copyright © 2006-2021, The MITRE Corporation. CWE, CWSS, CWRAF, and the CWE logo are trademarks of The MITRE Corporation. |