VNX-428 – Unquoted Search Path or Element

Overview

VNX-428 maps to CWE-428: Unquoted Search Path or Element. Detects source patterns associated with CWE-428 (Unquoted Search Path or Element). Each finding should be manually reviewed for exploitability in context.

Severity: Medium | CWE: CWE-428 | Languages: c, cpp, csharp

Why This Matters

This weakness class (Unquoted Search Path or Element) creates a concrete exploit surface: the rule searches for the concrete source-level patterns most commonly associated with CWE-428 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 '"C:\\Program Files' pattern
"C:\\Program Files

Remediation

  1. Review each flagged line and determine whether the pattern represents a real instance of CWE-428 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-428 comment on the line.
  4. Ensure equivalent test coverage exists to prevent regression.

References