CWE-48: Path Equivalence: 'file name' (Internal Whitespace)
The product accepts path input in the form of internal space ('file(SPACE)name') without appropriate validation, which can lead to ambiguous path resolution and allow an attacker to traverse the file system to unintended locations or access arbitrary files.
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Overview
CWE-48 (Path Equivalence: 'file name' (Internal Whitespace)) is a variant-level software weakness catalogued by MITRE in the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE). It describes a recurring type of mistake that can lead to exploitable security vulnerabilities.
Common consequences
What can happen when CWE-48 is exploited.
Read Files or Directories, Modify Files or Directories
Affects: Confidentiality, Integrity
How it happens
When it is introduced
Typically introduced during these phases of the software lifecycle.
Illustrative examples
Real CVEs that MITRE cites as examples of this weakness.
- CVE-2000-0293 — Filenames with spaces allow arbitrary file deletion when the product does not properly quote them; some overlap with path traversal.
- CVE-2001-1567 — "+" characters in query string converted to spaces before sensitive file/extension (internal space), leading to bypass of access restrictions to the file.