VNX-170 – Improper Null Termination

Overview

VNX-170 maps to CWE-170: Improper Null Termination. Detects source patterns associated with CWE-170 (Improper Null Termination). Each finding should be manually reviewed for exploitability in context.

Severity: High | CWE: CWE-170 | Languages: c, cpp

Why This Matters

This weakness class (Improper Null Termination) creates a concrete exploit surface: the rule searches for the concrete source-level patterns most commonly associated with CWE-170 and surfaces them for review. Each finding should be evaluated in context — the rule catches the pattern, not the context.

What Gets Flagged

// FLAGGED: contains 'strncpy(' pattern
strncpy(

Remediation

  1. Review each flagged line and determine whether the pattern represents a real instance of CWE-170 or a false positive.
  2. Replace the flagged construct with a documented safe alternative appropriate to your language and framework.
  3. For confirmed false positives, add a # vulnetix-ignore: VNX-170 comment on the line.
  4. Ensure equivalent test coverage exists to prevent regression.

References