Standard attack pattern
Draft
CAPEC-635: Alternative Execution Due to Deceptive Filenames
The extension of a file name is often used in various contexts to determine the application that is used to open and use it. If an attacker can cause an alternative application to be used, it may be able to execute malicious code, cause a denial of service or expose sensitive information.
Last updated
High
Typical severity
Per MITRE
Not rated
Likelihood of attack
Per MITRE
1
Related weaknesses
CWEs this targets
Standard
Abstraction
MITRE classification
Overview
CAPEC-635 (Alternative Execution Due to Deceptive Filenames) is a standard-level attack pattern catalogued by MITRE in the Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC). It describes a recurring method attackers use to exploit software weaknesses.
What the attacker needs
Prerequisites
- The use of the file must be controlled by the file extension.
How to mitigate it
Defenses that reduce the risk of CAPEC-635.
- Applications should insure that the content of the file is consistent with format it is expecting, and not depend solely on the file extension.