Authorization / Null Pointer

Description

NULL Pointer is an Authorization vulnerability, which occurs when a program attempts to access memory without first checking if it is valid. According to the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) directory, this vulnerability is classified as CWE-476 and is related to the use of uninitialized pointers. It commonly occurs in web applications and API’s and can lead to a code execution attack. The OWASP Testing Guide lists this vulnerability as a type of injection attack, which is the result of a lack of proper input validation and authentication methods.

Risk

The risk of this vulnerability is high. If left unaddressed, this vulnerability can lead to malicious code being executed, resulting in data breaches, denial of service, and other malicious activity.

Solution

The best way to address this vulnerability is to ensure that proper input validation and authentication is in place. Input validation should be thorough, and authentication should use secure methods such as two-factor authentication. Additionally, all code should be properly tested before being deployed to production.

Example

// Code snippet

if (ptr != NULL) 
{
    printf("%d", *ptr);
}

The code snippet above shows a function that attempts to access memory without first checking if the pointer is valid. If the pointer is set to NULL, then the code will execute without any validation, resulting in a NULL Pointer vulnerability.