CWE CATEGORY: DEPRECATED: Pathname Traversal and Equivalence Errors
Category ID: 21
Summary
This category has been deprecated. It was originally used for organizing weaknesses involving file names, which enabled access to files outside of a restricted directory (path traversal) or to perform operations on files that would otherwise be restricted (path equivalence). Consider using either the File Handling Issues category (CWE-1219) or the class Use of Incorrectly-Resolved Name or Reference (CWE-706).
Notes
Mapping
Use for Mapping: Prohibited (this CWE ID must not be used to map to real-world vulnerabilities).
Rationale: This CWE has been deprecated. It is also a Category. Using categories for mapping has been an actively discouraged practice since at least 2019. Categories are informal organizational groupings of weaknesses that help navigation and browsing by CWE users, but they are not weaknesses in themselves.
Comments: see description for suggestions of other CWEs to consider.