VNX-466 – Return of Pointer Value Outside of Expected Range

Overview

VNX-466 maps to CWE-466: Return of Pointer Value Outside of Expected Range. Detects source patterns associated with CWE-466 (Return of Pointer Value Outside of Expected Range). Each finding should be manually reviewed for exploitability in context.

Severity: Low | CWE: CWE-466 | Languages: c

Why This Matters

This weakness class (Return of Pointer Value Outside of Expected Range) creates a concrete exploit surface: the rule searches for the concrete source-level patterns most commonly associated with CWE-466 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 'return p + ' pattern
return p +

Remediation

  1. Review each flagged line and determine whether the pattern represents a real instance of CWE-466 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-466 comment on the line.
  4. Ensure equivalent test coverage exists to prevent regression.

References