CWE-72: Improper Handling of Apple HFS+ Alternate Data Stream Path

Description

The product does not properly handle special paths that may identify the data or resource fork of a file on the HFS+ file system.

If the product chooses actions to take based on the file name, then if an attacker provides the data or resource fork, the product may take unexpected actions. Further, if the product intends to restrict access to a file, then an attacker might still be able to bypass intended access restrictions by requesting the data or resource fork for that file.

Potential Impact

Confidentiality, Integrity

Read Files or Directories, Modify Files or Directories

Demonstrative Examples

Consider a web server that uses the Apple
               HFS+ file system. It interprets FILE.cgi as processing
               instructions.
An adversary could request
			   "FILE.cgi/..namedfork/data" to prevent FILE.cgi from
			   being executed, instead disclosing the source code for
			   FILE.cgi. This might occur because the web server
			   invokes the default handler which may return the
			   contents of the file.

Real-World CVE Examples

CVE ID	Description
CVE-2004-1084	Server allows remote attackers to read files and resource fork content via HTTP requests to certain special file names related to multiple data streams in HFS+.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CWE-72?

CWE-72 (Improper Handling of Apple HFS+ Alternate Data Stream Path) is a software weakness identified by MITRE's Common Weakness Enumeration. It is classified as a Variant-level weakness. The product does not properly handle special paths that may identify the data or resource fork of a file on the HFS+ file system.

How can CWE-72 be exploited?

Attackers can exploit CWE-72 (Improper Handling of Apple HFS+ Alternate Data Stream Path) to read files or directories, modify files or directories. This weakness is typically introduced during the Implementation phase of software development.

How do I prevent CWE-72?

Follow secure coding practices, conduct code reviews, and use automated security testing tools (SAST/DAST) to detect this weakness early in the development lifecycle.

What is the severity of CWE-72?

CWE-72 is classified as a Variant-level weakness (Low-Medium abstraction). It has been observed in 1 real-world CVEs.