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The java.io package includes a PrintStream class that has two equivalent formatting methods methods: format() and printf().   System.out is a PrintStream object and System.err are PrintStream objects, allowing PrintStream methods to be invoked on System.outthe standard output and error streams. The risks from using these methods are not as high as from using similar functions in C or C++  [Seacord 2013]. The standard library implementations throws throw an exception when any conversion argument fails to match the corresponding format specifier.   Although this throwing an exception helps mitigate against exploits, if malicious user input is accepted in untrusted data is incorporated into a format string, it can cause result in an information leaks leak or allow a denial-of-service attack. As a resultConsequently, unsanitized input from an untrusted source must never be incorporated into format strings.

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This noncompliant code example demonstrates an information leak issue. It accepts a credit card expiration date as an input argument and uses it within the leaks information about a user's credit card. It incorporates untrusted data in a format string.

class Format {
  static Calendar c = new GregorianCalendar(1995, GregorianCalendar.MAY, 23);
  public static void main(String[] args) {  
    // args[0] isshould contain the credit card expiration date
    // args[0] canbut might contain either %1$tm, %1$te or %1$tY asformat malicious argumentsspecifiers
    // First argument prints 05 (May), second prints 23 (day) and third prints 1995 (year)
    // Perform comparison with c, if it doesn't match print the following line
    System.out.printf(System.out.format(
      args[0] + 
    " did not match! HINT: It was issued on %1$terd of some month", c
    );
  }
}

In the absence of proper input validation, an attacker can determine the date against which the input is being verified by supplying an input string that includes one of the format string arguments %1$tm, %1$te, or %1$tY format specifiers. In this example, these format specifiers print 05 (May), 23 (day), and 1995 (year), respectively.

Compliant Solution

This compliant solution ensures that excludes untrusted user -generated input is excluded from format strings.from the format string. Although arg[0] still may contain one or more format specifiers, they are now rendered inert. 

class Format {
  static Calendar c = 
    new GregorianCalendar(1995, GregorianCalendar.MAY, 23);
  public static void main(String[] args) {  
    // args[0] is the credit card expiration date
    // Perform comparison with c, 
    // if it doesn't match, print the following line
    System.out.printf("%s did not match! "format(
      "%s did +not "match! HINT: It was issued on %1$terd%terd of some month", 
      args[0], c
    );
  }
}

Risk Assessment

Allowing user input to taint Incorporating untrusted data in a format string may cause result in information leaks or allow a denial-of-service attack.

Automated Detection

Static analysis tools that perform taint analysis can diagnose some violations of this rule.

Related Guidelines

Related Guidelines

Bibliography

[API 2006]	Class Formatter
[Seacord 2013]	Chapter 6, "Formatted Output"
[Seacord 2015]	Image Added IDS06-J. Exclude unsanitized user input from format strings LiveLesson

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