Argument Injection
Description
Argument Injection occurs when an application passes untrusted user input directly as command-line arguments to system processes or external programs without proper validation or sanitization. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious arguments that alter the intended behavior of the command, potentially leading to arbitrary command execution. Unlike command injection which injects entirely new commands, argument injection manipulates the arguments of legitimate commands to achieve malicious outcomes.
Remediation
To prevent Argument Injection vulnerabilities, implement the following security measures:
1. Avoid executing external commands: Whenever possible, use native language libraries and APIs instead of invoking external processes.
2. Implement strict input validation: Use an allowlist approach to validate all user inputs against a predefined set of acceptable values. Reject any input that does not match expected patterns.
3. Sanitize arguments properly: If external command execution is unavoidable, use parameterized execution methods provided by your programming language that properly escape arguments. For example:
// Unsafe - vulnerable to argument injection
Runtime.getRuntime().exec("program " + userInput);
// Safe - using array form with separate arguments
String[] cmd = {"program", "--option", userInput};
Runtime.getRuntime().exec(cmd);4. Apply the principle of least privilege: Ensure the application runs with minimal necessary permissions to limit the impact of successful exploitation.
5. Use security controls: Implement additional layers such as application sandboxing, security frameworks, and runtime application self-protection (RASP) where appropriate.