CWE-172 Encoding Error – Detailed Weakness Analysis

Explore CAPEC attack patterns referencing this CWE.

What is CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration)?

The Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) is a community-developed list of common software and hardware weaknesses. By identifying these weaknesses, developers and security practitioners can prioritize and address potential vulnerabilities early in the development cycle. Explore our comprehensive CWE list below to better understand and mitigate common security issues.

CAPEC Patterns referencing CWE-172

Below is a list of CAPEC attack patterns associated with this CWE-172. Click on each CAPEC to learn more. The right column shows the related weaknesses (including this one).

CAPEC Related Weaknesses
Double Encoding
CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
CWE-74 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
CWE-172 Encoding Error
CWE-173 Improper Handling of Alternate Encoding
CWE-177 Improper Handling of URL Encoding (Hex Encoding)
CWE-181 Incorrect Behavior Order: Validate Before Filter
CWE-183 Permissive List of Allowed Inputs
CWE-184 Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs
CWE-692 Incomplete Denylist to Cross-Site Scripting
CWE-697 Incorrect Comparison
Leverage Alternate Encoding
CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
CWE-73 External Control of File Name or Path
CWE-74 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
CWE-172 Encoding Error
CWE-173 Improper Handling of Alternate Encoding
CWE-180 Incorrect Behavior Order: Validate Before Canonicalize
CWE-181 Incorrect Behavior Order: Validate Before Filter
CWE-692 Incomplete Denylist to Cross-Site Scripting
CWE-697 Incorrect Comparison
Using Leading 'Ghost' Character Sequences to Bypass Input Filters
CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
CWE-41 Improper Resolution of Path Equivalence
CWE-74 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
CWE-172 Encoding Error
CWE-173 Improper Handling of Alternate Encoding
CWE-179 Incorrect Behavior Order: Early Validation
CWE-180 Incorrect Behavior Order: Validate Before Canonicalize
CWE-181 Incorrect Behavior Order: Validate Before Filter
CWE-183 Permissive List of Allowed Inputs
CWE-184 Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs
CWE-697 Incorrect Comparison
CWE-707 Improper Neutralization
Embedding NULL Bytes
CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
CWE-74 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
CWE-158 Improper Neutralization of Null Byte or NUL Character
CWE-172 Encoding Error
CWE-173 Improper Handling of Alternate Encoding
CWE-697 Incorrect Comparison
CWE-707 Improper Neutralization
Postfix, Null Terminate, and Backslash
CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
CWE-74 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
CWE-158 Improper Neutralization of Null Byte or NUL Character
CWE-172 Encoding Error
CWE-173 Improper Handling of Alternate Encoding
CWE-697 Incorrect Comparison
CWE-707 Improper Neutralization
Using Slashes and URL Encoding Combined to Bypass Validation Logic
CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CWE-73 External Control of File Name or Path
CWE-74 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
CWE-172 Encoding Error
CWE-173 Improper Handling of Alternate Encoding
CWE-177 Improper Handling of URL Encoding (Hex Encoding)
CWE-697 Incorrect Comparison
CWE-707 Improper Neutralization
Using Unicode Encoding to Bypass Validation Logic
CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
CWE-74 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
CWE-172 Encoding Error
CWE-173 Improper Handling of Alternate Encoding
CWE-176 Improper Handling of Unicode Encoding
CWE-179 Incorrect Behavior Order: Early Validation
CWE-180 Incorrect Behavior Order: Validate Before Canonicalize
CWE-183 Permissive List of Allowed Inputs
CWE-184 Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs
CWE-692 Incomplete Denylist to Cross-Site Scripting
CWE-697 Incorrect Comparison
URL Encoding
CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
CWE-73 External Control of File Name or Path
CWE-74 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
CWE-172 Encoding Error
CWE-173 Improper Handling of Alternate Encoding
CWE-177 Improper Handling of URL Encoding (Hex Encoding)
Using Escaped Slashes in Alternate Encoding
CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
CWE-73 External Control of File Name or Path
CWE-74 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
CWE-172 Encoding Error
CWE-173 Improper Handling of Alternate Encoding
CWE-180 Incorrect Behavior Order: Validate Before Canonicalize
CWE-181 Incorrect Behavior Order: Validate Before Filter
CWE-697 Incorrect Comparison
CWE-707 Improper Neutralization
Using UTF-8 Encoding to Bypass Validation Logic
CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
CWE-73 External Control of File Name or Path
CWE-74 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
CWE-172 Encoding Error
CWE-173 Improper Handling of Alternate Encoding
CWE-180 Incorrect Behavior Order: Validate Before Canonicalize
CWE-181 Incorrect Behavior Order: Validate Before Filter
CWE-692 Incomplete Denylist to Cross-Site Scripting
CWE-697 Incorrect Comparison

About CWE-172: Encoding Error

CWE-172 is one of the established Common Weakness Enumerations that identifies a specific type of vulnerability in software. Detailed analysis of CWE-172 helps organizations understand the risks associated with this weakness and implement effective countermeasures.

Explore related attack patterns, best practices, and expert recommendations on this page. By understanding CWE-172, you can enhance your security posture and better protect your applications against exploitation.