- What is CWE-61?
- The product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently account for when the file is a symbolic link that resolves to a target outside of the intended control sphere. This could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files.
- What CVEs are caused by CWE-61?
- 123 recorded CVEs are attributed to CWE-61, including CVE-2026-54420, CVE-2024-28189, CVE-2024-28185. 1 are listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
- How do you prevent CWE-61?
- Symbolic link attacks often occur when a program creates a tmp directory that stores files/links. Access to the directory should be restricted to the program as to prevent attackers from manipulating the files.
- How is CWE-61 detected?
- Automated Static Analysis: Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.)
- What are the consequences of CWE-61?
- Exploiting CWE-61 can lead to: Read Files or Directories, Modify Files or Directories.
- Is CWE-61 actively exploited?
- Yes. 1 CWE-61 vulnerabilities are in CISA's KEV catalog of actively exploited flaws, out of 123 recorded CVEs.
