Get a weakness

curl "https://radicalnotion.ai/api/v1/cwes/CWE-502" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $RN_TOKEN"

{
  "cwe_id": "CWE-502",
  "slug": "cwe-502",
  "numeric_id": 502,
  "name": "Deserialization of Untrusted Data",
  "abstraction": "Base",
  "structure": "Simple",
  "status": "Draft",
  "likelihood": "Medium",
  "description": "The product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid.",
  "extended_description": [],
  "background": [
    "Serialization and deserialization refer to the process of taking program-internal object-related data, packaging it in a way that allows the data to be externally stored or transferred (\"serialization\"), then extracting the serialized data to reconstruct the original object (\"deserialization\")."
  ],
  "alternate_terms": [
    {
      "term": "Marshaling/Marshalling, Unmarshaling/Unmarshalling",
      "description": "Marshaling and unmarshaling are effectively synonyms for serialization and deserialization, respectively."
    },
    {
      "term": "Pickling, Unpickling",
      "description": "In Python, the \"pickle\" functionality is used to perform serialization and deserialization."
    }
  ],
  "consequences": [
    {
      "scopes": [
        "Integrity"
      ],
      "impacts": [
        "Modify Application Data",
        "Unexpected State"
      ],
      "note": "Attackers can modify unexpected objects or data that was assumed to be safe from modification. Deserialized data or code could be modified without using the provided accessor functions, or unexpected functions could be invoked."
    },
    {
      "scopes": [
        "Availability"
      ],
      "impacts": [
        "DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU)"
      ],
      "note": "If a function is making an assumption on when to terminate, based on a sentry in a string, it could easily never terminate."
    }
  ],
  "mitigations": [
    {
      "phases": [
        "Architecture and Design",
        "Implementation"
      ],
      "strategy": null,
      "paragraphs": [
        "If available, use the signing/sealing features of the programming language to assure that deserialized data has not been tainted. For example, a hash-based message authentication code (HMAC) could be used to ensure that data has not been modified."
      ],
      "bullets": [],
      "effectiveness": null,
      "effectiveness_notes": null
    },
    {
      "phases": [
        "Implementation"
      ],
      "strategy": null,
      "paragraphs": [
        "When deserializing data, populate a new object rather than just deserializing. The result is that the data flows through safe input validation and that the functions are safe."
      ],
      "bullets": [],
      "effectiveness": null,
      "effectiveness_notes": null
    }
  ],
  "detection_methods": [
    {
      "method": "Automated Static Analysis",
      "paragraphs": [
        "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.)"
      ],
      "bullets": [],
      "effectiveness": "High",
      "effectiveness_notes": null
    }
  ],
  "demonstrative_examples": [
    {
      "intro": [
        "This code snippet deserializes an object from a file and uses it as a UI button:"
      ],
      "body": [],
      "snippets": [
        {
          "code": "try {",
          "language": "Java",
          "nature": "Bad"
        },
        {
          "code": "private final void readObject(ObjectInputStream in) throws java.io.IOException {",
          "language": "Java",
          "nature": "Good"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "observed_examples": [
    {
      "cve_id": "CVE-2024-37052",
      "description": "insecure deserialization in platform for managing AI/ML applications and models allows code execution via a crafted pickled object in a model file",
      "link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-37052"
    },
    {
      "cve_id": "CVE-2024-37288",
      "description": "deserialization of untrusted YAML data in dashboard for data query and visualization of Elasticsearch data",
      "link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-37288"
    },
    {
      "cve_id": "CVE-2024-9314",
      "description": "PHP object injection in WordPress plugin for AI-based SEO",
      "link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-9314"
    }
  ],
  "modes_of_introduction": [
    {
      "phase": "Architecture and Design",
      "note": "OMISSION: This weakness is caused by missing a security tactic during the architecture and design phase."
    },
    {
      "phase": "Implementation",
      "note": null
    }
  ],
  "platforms": [
    {
      "label": "Languages",
      "items": [
        {
          "name": "Java",
          "prevalence": "Undetermined"
        },
        {
          "name": "Ruby",
          "prevalence": "Undetermined"
        },
        {
          "name": "PHP",
          "prevalence": "Undetermined"
        },
        {
          "name": "Python",
          "prevalence": "Undetermined"
        },
        {
          "name": "JavaScript",
          "prevalence": "Undetermined"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "label": "Technologies",
      "items": [
        {
          "name": "ICS/OT",
          "prevalence": "Often"
        },
        {
          "name": "AI/ML",
          "prevalence": "Often"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "taxonomy_mappings": [
    {
      "taxonomy": "CLASP",
      "entry_name": "Deserialization of untrusted data",
      "entry_id": null,
      "fit": null
    },
    {
      "taxonomy": "The CERT Oracle Secure Coding Standard for Java (2011)",
      "entry_name": "Do not deviate from the proper signatures of serialization methods",
      "entry_id": "SER01-J",
      "fit": null
    }
  ],
  "attack_patterns": [
    "CAPEC-586"
  ],
  "attack_patterns_detailed": [
    {
      "capec_id": "CAPEC-586",
      "slug": "capec-586",
      "name": "Object Injection"
    }
  ],
  "relationships": [
    {
      "cwe_id": "CWE-913",
      "slug": "cwe-913",
      "name": "Improper Control of Dynamically-Managed Code Resources",
      "nature": "Parent"
    },
    {
      "cwe_id": "CWE-915",
      "slug": "cwe-915",
      "name": "Improperly Controlled Modification of Dynamically-Determined Object Attributes",
      "nature": "Peer"
    }
  ],
  "catalog_version": "4.20",
  "updated_at": "2026-05-01T03:00:14.902Z"
}