VNX-242 – Use of Inherently Dangerous Function

Overview

VNX-242 maps to CWE-242: Use of Inherently Dangerous Function. Detects source patterns associated with CWE-242 (Use of Inherently Dangerous Function). Each finding should be manually reviewed for exploitability in context.

Severity: High | CWE: CWE-242 | Languages: c, cpp

Why This Matters

This weakness class (Use of Inherently Dangerous Function) creates a concrete exploit surface: the rule searches for the concrete source-level patterns most commonly associated with CWE-242 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 'gets(' pattern
gets(

Remediation

  1. Review each flagged line and determine whether the pattern represents a real instance of CWE-242 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-242 comment on the line.
  4. Ensure equivalent test coverage exists to prevent regression.

References