CAPEC-649 — Adding a Space to a File Extension
CAPEC-649: Adding a Space to a File Extension
MITRE CAPEC attack pattern
| Status | Draft |
| Typical severity | Medium |
| Likelihood of attack | Low |
| Catalogue | CAPEC 3.9 (2023-01-24) |
Description
An adversary adds a space character to the end of a file extension and takes advantage of an application that does not properly neutralize trailing special elements in file names. This extra space, which can be difficult for a user to notice, affects which default application is used to operate on the file and can be leveraged by the adversary to control execution.
Where this sits in the chain
A finding maps to a weakness (CWE), a weakness is exploited by an attack pattern (CAPEC), and an attack pattern shows up in ATT&CK as observed adversary behaviour. This page is the middle hop.
Weaknesses exploited: CWE-46
ATT&CK techniques: T1036.006
Prerequisites
- The use of the file must be controlled by the file extension.
Consequences
- Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability: Execute Unauthorized Commands
Mitigations
- File extensions should be checked to see if non-visible characters are being included.