VNX-73 – External Control of File Name or Path

Overview

VNX-73 maps to CWE-73: External Control of File Name or Path. Detects source patterns associated with CWE-73 (External Control of File Name or Path). Each finding should be manually reviewed for exploitability in context.

Severity: High | CWE: CWE-73 | Languages: java, node, python

Why This Matters

This weakness class (External Control of File Name or Path) creates a concrete exploit surface: the rule searches for the concrete source-level patterns most commonly associated with CWE-73 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 'open(' pattern
open(

// FLAGGED: contains 'new FileInputStream(' pattern
new FileInputStream(

// FLAGGED: contains 'fs.createReadStream(' pattern
fs.createReadStream(

Remediation

  1. Review each flagged line and determine whether the pattern represents a real instance of CWE-73 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-73 comment on the line.
  4. Ensure equivalent test coverage exists to prevent regression.

References