CWE - CWE-743: CWE CATEGORY: CERT C Secure Coding Standard (2008) Chapter 10 - Input Output (FIO) (4.19.1)
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    CWE CATEGORY: CERT C Secure Coding Standard (2008) Chapter 10 - Input Output (FIO)

    Category ID: 743
    Vulnerability Mapping: PROHIBITED This CWE ID must not be used to map to real-world vulnerabilities
    + Summary
    Weaknesses in this category are related to the rules and recommendations in the Input Output (FIO) chapter of the CERT C Secure Coding Standard (2008).
    + Membership
    Nature Type ID Name
    MemberOf ViewView - a subset of CWE entries that provides a way of examining CWE content. The two main view structures are Slices (flat lists) and Graphs (containing relationships between entries). 734 Weaknesses Addressed by the CERT C Secure Coding Standard (2008)
    HasMember BaseBase - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
    HasMember VariantVariant - a weakness that is linked to a certain type of product, typically involving a specific language or technology. More specific than a Base weakness. Variant level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 3 to 5 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 37 Path Traversal: '/absolute/pathname/here'
    HasMember VariantVariant - a weakness that is linked to a certain type of product, typically involving a specific language or technology. More specific than a Base weakness. Variant level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 3 to 5 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 38 Path Traversal: '\absolute\pathname\here'
    HasMember VariantVariant - a weakness that is linked to a certain type of product, typically involving a specific language or technology. More specific than a Base weakness. Variant level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 3 to 5 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 39 Path Traversal: 'C:dirname'
    HasMember BaseBase - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 41 Improper Resolution of Path Equivalence
    HasMember BaseBase - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 59 Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
    HasMember VariantVariant - a weakness that is linked to a certain type of product, typically involving a specific language or technology. More specific than a Base weakness. Variant level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 3 to 5 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 62 UNIX Hard Link
    HasMember VariantVariant - a weakness that is linked to a certain type of product, typically involving a specific language or technology. More specific than a Base weakness. Variant level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 3 to 5 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 64 Windows Shortcut Following (.LNK)
    HasMember VariantVariant - a weakness that is linked to a certain type of product, typically involving a specific language or technology. More specific than a Base weakness. Variant level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 3 to 5 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 65 Windows Hard Link
    HasMember VariantVariant - a weakness that is linked to a certain type of product, typically involving a specific language or technology. More specific than a Base weakness. Variant level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 3 to 5 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 67 Improper Handling of Windows Device Names
    HasMember ClassClass - a weakness that is described in a very abstract fashion, typically independent of any specific language or technology. More specific than a Pillar Weakness, but more general than a Base Weakness. Class level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 1 or 2 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, and resource. 119 Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
    HasMember BaseBase - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 134 Use of Externally-Controlled Format String
    HasMember BaseBase - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 241 Improper Handling of Unexpected Data Type
    HasMember BaseBase - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 276 Incorrect Default Permissions
    HasMember VariantVariant - a weakness that is linked to a certain type of product, typically involving a specific language or technology. More specific than a Base weakness. Variant level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 3 to 5 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 279 Incorrect Execution-Assigned Permissions
    HasMember ClassClass - a weakness that is described in a very abstract fashion, typically independent of any specific language or technology. More specific than a Pillar Weakness, but more general than a Base Weakness. Class level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 1 or 2 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, and resource. 362 Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
    HasMember BaseBase - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 367 Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
    HasMember BaseBase - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 379 Creation of Temporary File in Directory with Insecure Permissions
    HasMember BaseBase - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 391 Unchecked Error Condition
    HasMember BaseBase - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 403 Exposure of File Descriptor to Unintended Control Sphere ('File Descriptor Leak')
    HasMember ClassClass - a weakness that is described in a very abstract fashion, typically independent of any specific language or technology. More specific than a Pillar Weakness, but more general than a Base Weakness. Class level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 1 or 2 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, and resource. 404 Improper Resource Shutdown or Release
    HasMember BaseBase - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 552 Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties
    HasMember ClassClass - a weakness that is described in a very abstract fashion, typically independent of any specific language or technology. More specific than a Pillar Weakness, but more general than a Base Weakness. Class level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 1 or 2 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, and resource. 675 Multiple Operations on Resource in Single-Operation Context
    HasMember BaseBase - a weakness that is still mostly independent of a resource or technology, but with sufficient details to provide specific methods for detection and prevention. Base level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 2 or 3 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 676 Use of Potentially Dangerous Function
    HasMember VariantVariant - a weakness that is linked to a certain type of product, typically involving a specific language or technology. More specific than a Base weakness. Variant level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 3 to 5 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, technology, language, and resource. 686 Function Call With Incorrect Argument Type
    HasMember ClassClass - a weakness that is described in a very abstract fashion, typically independent of any specific language or technology. More specific than a Pillar Weakness, but more general than a Base Weakness. Class level weaknesses typically describe issues in terms of 1 or 2 of the following dimensions: behavior, property, and resource. 732 Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource
    + Vulnerability Mapping Notes

    Usage: PROHIBITED

    (this CWE ID must not be used to map to real-world vulnerabilities)

    Reason: Category

    Rationale:

    This entry is a Category. Using categories for mapping has been discouraged since 2019. Categories are informal organizational groupings of weaknesses that can help CWE users with data aggregation, navigation, and browsing. However, they are not weaknesses in themselves.

    Comments:

    See member weaknesses of this category.
    + Notes

    Relationship

    In the 2008 version of the CERT C Secure Coding standard, the following rules were mapped to the following CWE IDs:

    • CWE-22 FIO02-C Canonicalize path names originating from untrusted sources
    • CWE-37 FIO05-C Identify files using multiple file attributes
    • CWE-38 FIO05-C Identify files using multiple file attributes
    • CWE-39 FIO05-C Identify files using multiple file attributes
    • CWE-41 FIO02-C Canonicalize path names originating from untrusted sources
    • CWE-59 FIO02-C Canonicalize path names originating from untrusted sources
    • CWE-62 FIO05-C Identify files using multiple file attributes
    • CWE-64 FIO05-C Identify files using multiple file attributes
    • CWE-65 FIO05-C Identify files using multiple file attributes
    • CWE-67 FIO32-C Do not perform operations on devices that are only appropriate for files
    • CWE-119 FIO37-C Do not assume character data has been read
    • CWE-134 FIO30-C Exclude user input from format strings
    • CWE-134 FIO30-C Exclude user input from format strings
    • CWE-241 FIO37-C Do not assume character data has been read
    • CWE-276 FIO06-C Create files with appropriate access permissions
    • CWE-279 FIO06-C Create files with appropriate access permissions
    • CWE-362 FIO31-C Do not simultaneously open the same file multiple times
    • CWE-367 FIO01-C Be careful using functions that use file names for identification
    • CWE-379 FIO15-C Ensure that file operations are performed in a secure directory
    • CWE-379 FIO43-C Do not create temporary files in shared directories
    • CWE-391 FIO04-C Detect and handle input and output errors
    • CWE-391 FIO33-C Detect and handle input output errors resulting in undefined behavior
    • CWE-403 FIO42-C Ensure files are properly closed when they are no longer needed
    • CWE-404 FIO42-C Ensure files are properly closed when they are no longer needed
    • CWE-552 FIO15-C Ensure that file operations are performed in a secure directory
    • CWE-675 FIO31-C Do not simultaneously open the same file multiple times
    • CWE-676 FIO01-C Be careful using functions that use file names for identification
    • CWE-686 FIO00-C Take care when creating format strings
    • CWE-732 FIO06-C Create files with appropriate access permissions
    + References
    [REF-597] Robert C. Seacord. "The CERT C Secure Coding Standard". 1st Edition. Addison-Wesley Professional. 2008-10-14.
    + Content History
    + Submissions
    Submission Date Submitter Organization
    2008-11-24
    (CWE 1.1, 2008-11-24)     		CWE Content Team MITRE
    + Modifications
    Modification Date Modifier Organization
    2011-09-13 CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Relationships
    2017-11-08 CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Description, Name, Relationship_Notes
    2019-01-03 CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Description, Name, References
    2023-04-27 CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Mapping_Notes
    2023-06-29 CWE Content Team MITRE
    updated Mapping_Notes
    + Previous Entry Names
    Change Date Previous Entry Name
    2017-11-08 CERT C Secure Coding Section 09 - Input Output (FIO)
    2019-01-03 CERT C Secure Coding (2008 Version) Section 09 - Input Output (FIO)
    Page Last Updated: January 21, 2026