CWE-52 Variant Incomplete

Path Equivalence: '/multiple/trailing/slash//'

This vulnerability occurs when an application accepts file or directory paths containing multiple consecutive forward slashes (like '/multiple/trailing/slash//') without normalizing them. Different…

Definition

What is CWE-52?

This vulnerability occurs when an application accepts file or directory paths containing multiple consecutive forward slashes (like '/multiple/trailing/slash//') without normalizing them. Different systems may interpret these duplicate slashes differently, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security checks and access restricted files or directories.
At its core, this issue stems from inconsistent path resolution. Operating systems, web servers, and programming language libraries often treat '//' within a path differently—some collapse them into a single slash, while others interpret them as a special or even absolute reference. This ambiguity creates a gap between the security logic you write (which checks a 'clean' path) and the actual path the system processes, letting attackers craft inputs that slip through validation. To prevent this, developers should implement strict path normalization before any security or file operations. Always canonicalize user-supplied paths by removing duplicate slashes, resolving relative segments (like '..' and '.'), and then comparing the result against an allowlist of permitted directories. Never trust raw user input for filesystem operations, as this simple oversight can turn into a full directory traversal flaw.
Auswirkungen in der Praxis

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-52

  • Directory listings in web server using multiple trailing slash

Wie Angreifer es ausnutzen

Angreiferpfad Schritt für Schritt

  1. 1

    Identifiziere einen Codepfad, der nicht vertrauenswürdige Eingaben ohne Validierung verarbeitet.

  2. 2

    Erzeuge eine Payload, die das unsichere Verhalten auslöst — Injection, Traversal, Overflow oder Logik-Missbrauch.

  3. 3

    Liefere die Payload über einen normalen Request aus und beobachte die Reaktion der Anwendung.

  4. 4

    Iteriere, bis die Antwort Daten preisgibt, Angreifer-Code ausführt oder Berechtigungen eskaliert.

Verwundbares Codebeispiel

Vulnerable pseudo

MITRE hat kein Codebeispiel für diese CWE veröffentlicht. Das untenstehende Muster ist illustrativ — kanonische Referenzen findest du unter Ressourcen.

Verwundbar pseudo
// Example pattern — see MITRE for the canonical references.
function handleRequest(input) {
  // Untrusted input flows directly into the sensitive sink.
  return executeUnsafe(input);
}
Sicheres Codebeispiel

Secure pseudo

Sicher pseudo
// Validate, sanitize, or use a safe API before reaching the sink.
function handleRequest(input) {
  const safe = validateAndEscape(input);
  return executeWithGuards(safe);
}
What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.
Präventions-Checkliste

How to prevent CWE-52

  • Implementation Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174). Such errors could be used to bypass allowlist validation schemes by introducing dangerous inputs after they have been checked.
Erkennungssignale

How to detect CWE-52

SAST High

Führe statische Analyse (SAST) auf der Codebasis aus und suche im Datenfluss nach dem unsicheren Muster.

DAST Moderate

Führe dynamische Application-Security-Tests gegen den Live-Endpoint aus.

Runtime Moderate

Beobachte Runtime-Logs auf ungewöhnliche Exception-Traces, fehlerhafte Eingaben oder Versuche, Autorisierung zu umgehen.

Code review Moderate

Code Review: Markiere jeden neuen Code, der Eingaben von dieser Oberfläche ohne validierte Framework-Helper verarbeitet.

CWE-52

Don't catalog this weakness. Prove it's reachable.

Plexicus turns CWE catalogs into evidence: every CWE-pattern is matched against your real code graph, reach is proven on a sandbox clone, and verified findings ship as reviewed PRs.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Frequently asked questions

Was ist CWE-52?

This vulnerability occurs when an application accepts file or directory paths containing multiple consecutive forward slashes (like '/multiple/trailing/slash//') without normalizing them. Different systems may interpret these duplicate slashes differently, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security checks and access restricted files or directories.

Wie gravierend ist CWE-52?

MITRE hat für diese Schwachstelle keine Exploit-Wahrscheinlichkeit veröffentlicht. Behandle sie als mittlere Auswirkung, bis dein Threat Model anderes belegt.

Welche Sprachen oder Plattformen sind von CWE-52 betroffen?

MITRE hat für diese CWE keine betroffenen Plattformen spezifiziert — sie kann in den meisten Anwendungs-Stacks auftreten.

Wie kann ich CWE-52 verhindern?

Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174). Such errors could be used to bypass allowlist validation schemes by introducing dangerous inputs after they have been checked.

Wie erkennt und behebt Plexicus CWE-52?

Die SAST-Engine von Plexicus erkennt die Datenfluss-Signatur von CWE-52 bei jedem Commit. Bei einem Treffer öffnet unser Codex-Remedium-Agent einen Fix-PR mit korrigiertem Code, Tests und einer einzeiligen Zusammenfassung für den Reviewer.

Wo erfahre ich mehr über CWE-52?

MITRE veröffentlicht die kanonische Definition unter https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/52.html. Für ergänzende Hinweise kannst du auch die OWASP- und NIST-Dokumentation heranziehen.

Verwandte Schwachstellen

Weaknesses related to CWE-52

CWE-41 Parent

Improper Resolution of Path Equivalence

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly handle different text representations that refer to the same file or…

CWE-42 Sibling

Path Equivalence: 'filename.' (Trailing Dot)

This vulnerability occurs when a system accepts file or directory paths that end with a dot (like 'file.txt.' or 'folder.') without…

CWE-44 Sibling

Path Equivalence: 'file.name' (Internal Dot)

This vulnerability occurs when an application accepts file paths containing internal dots (like 'file.ordir') without properly checking…

CWE-46 Sibling

Path Equivalence: 'filename ' (Trailing Space)

This vulnerability occurs when an application processes file paths that end with a space character (like 'document.txt ') without properly…

CWE-47 Sibling

Path Equivalence: ' filename' (Leading Space)

This vulnerability occurs when an application accepts file or directory paths that begin with a space character (like ' filename'),…

CWE-48 Sibling

Path Equivalence: 'file name' (Internal Whitespace)

This vulnerability occurs when an application accepts file paths containing internal spaces (like 'file name') without proper validation.…

CWE-49 Sibling

Path Equivalence: 'filename/' (Trailing Slash)

This vulnerability occurs when an application accepts file or directory paths that end with a slash (e.g., 'documents/') without properly…

CWE-50 Sibling

Path Equivalence: '//multiple/leading/slash'

This vulnerability occurs when an application accepts file or directory paths containing multiple leading slashes (like…

CWE-51 Sibling

Path Equivalence: '/multiple//internal/slash'

This vulnerability occurs when an application accepts file or directory paths containing multiple consecutive forward slashes (e.g.,…

Bereit, das Wesentliche zu validieren?

Bereit zu validieren, was zählt.

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Qualifizierung

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SAMPLE HANDOVER · ILLUSTRATIVE

Sample evidence handover

A trimmed view of what your team receives at the end of an AI Swarm Pentest engagement. Real engagements include full technical evidence, executive narrative, and a remediation plan.

VALIDATED FINDING Evidence attached

Server-Side Request Forgery in webhooks/receiver

demo-project/sample-app · src/webhooks/receiver.py:42

SeverityHigh CVSS 3.18.6 Priority79 Confirmedvia replay

Untrusted caller-supplied URLs reach an internal egress without an allowlist. Replayed in a sandbox against a fresh authorized target — the same control was validated to fail twice.

REVIEWER-READY REMEDIATION Merge-ready PR

Validate the target URL against an allowlist of permitted hostnames. Reject private/internal IP ranges. Enforce HTTPS only.

plexicus/remediation/webhooks-ssrf 3 changed · 0 new files
42resp = requests.get(target_url)
42+if not is_allowed_host(target_url):
43+  raise WebhookRejected(target_url)
44+resp = requests.get(target_url, timeout=5)
Every engagement hands over:
  • Executive briefing
  • Validated findings list
  • Merge-ready PRs
  • Compliance mapping (NIS2 · DORA · CRA)
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