Do not use functions that input characters and convert them to integers if the functions cannot handle all possible inputs. For example, formatted input functions such as scanf()
, fscanf()
, vscanf()
, and vfscanf()
can be used to read string data from stdin
or (in the cases of fscanf()
and vfscanf()
) other input streams. These functions work fine for valid integer values but lack robust error handling for invalid values.
Alternatively, input character data as a null-terminated byte string and covert to an integer value using strtol()
or a related function [[INT06-A. Use strtol() to convert a string token to an integer]].
Risk Assessment
While it is relatively rare for a violation of this rule to result in a security vulnerability, it could more easily result in loss or misinterpreted data.
Recommendation |
Severity |
Likelihood |
Remediation Cost |
Priority |
Level |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
INT05-A |
2 (medium) |
2 (probable) |
1 (high) |
P2 |
L3 |
Related Vulnerabilities
Search for vulnerabilities resulting from the violation of this rule on the CERT website.
References
[[Klein 02]]
[[ISO/IEC 9899-1999]] Section 7.20.1.4, "The strtol, strtoll, strtoul, and strtoull functions," and Section 7.19.6, "Formatted input/output functions"