Experiencing a Security Incident? → 24/7 Response: +91 73059 79248
Briskinfosec
COMPANY
About Briskinfosec Scope My Security Program Our Clients Testimonials Careers Partnership
INDUSTRIES
Banking & Financial Services Healthcare Manufacturing Government Energy & Utilities Telecom Technology Retail & E-Commerce All Industries →
CONNECT
Contact Us Request Assessment Responsible Disclosure Client Certificate Verification Training Certificate Verification
SECURITY TESTING (VAPT)
Web Application VAPT Mobile App Security API Security Testing Cloud Security Assessment Network Security Audit IoT Penetration Testing OT/SCADA Security Database Penetration Wireless Security CREST VAPT
ADVANCED ASSESSMENT
Red Team Operations AI/LLM Security Audit Digital Forensics Cyber Intelligence Secure Code Review DevSecOps Hardware Security Thick Client Security Host Level Security Automotive VAPT Telecom VAPT
DATA & PRIVACY
Data Security Audit Data Privacy Audit Data Masking & Privacy DSPM Data Breach Simulation SBOM & SCA Website Security All Assurance Services →
COMPLIANCE FRAMEWORKS
ISO 27001:2022 SOC 2 PCI-DSS HIPAA GDPR DPDPA NIST CSF IRDAI ISO 22301 (BCP) ISO 42001 (AI) IEC 62443 (OT) ISO 21434 (Automotive) PDPL (Saudi)
GRC SERVICES
GRC Framework Cyber Risk Assessment Third-Party Risk (TPRM) Data Privacy Compliance Data Retention Policy National Security Compliance Cybersecurity Insurance All Compliance →
GOVERNANCE LAYER
Data Governance Security Posture Management Cybersecurity Maturity AI Maturity Assessment Cyber Resilience BCP/DR Planning vIT Compliance Business Impact Analysis
MANAGED SECURITY
Managed Security (MSSP) SOC as a Service V-CISO Incident Response Virtual Security Team Third Eye (Surveillance)
CONTINUOUS MONITORING
SOAR Integration Security Monitoring Threat Intelligence Platform Cyber Threat Intelligence Lateral Movement Detection Penetration Test as Service
DEFENSIVE OPS
Perimeter Security Access Control Review Cloud Config Review CDN Security Network Architecture Cloud Security Management Virtualization Security All MSSP Services →
ELITE ASSESSMENTS
Threat Modeling Ransomware Readiness Threat & Vulnerability Mgmt Military Grade Review Hacker's POV Assessment
HUMAN LAYER
Security Awareness Training Phishing Simulation Tabletop Exercise Secure Code Training Cybersecurity Culture Cybersec Leadership Incident Response Training Data Privacy Training
STRATEGIC SERVICES
Application Security Governance Quarterly AppSec Review Minimum Security Baseline Secure SDLC Cyber Sense Plan Integration Threat Analysis Infra Risk Assessment Web Extensions Security bSAFE Security Score Layered Security Philosophy All Maturity Services →
PLATFORMS
LURA Portal LuraInsight (SAST) bSAFE Score BriskBox All Products →
Staffing
LEARN
Blog Videos Case Studies Press Room
INTELLIGENCE
Threatsploit Reports Security Essentials Carousel Flyers & Downloads All Resources →
Briskinfosec is a CREST accredited cybersecurity firm, globally recognized for penetration testing and VAPT services Briskinfosec is a CERT-In empanelled cybersecurity company based in Chennai with global operations in Dubai
Get Your bSafe Score →
Briskinfosec
COMPANY
About Briskinfosec Scope My Security Program Our Clients Testimonials Careers Partnership
INDUSTRIES
Banking & Financial Services Healthcare Manufacturing Government Energy & Utilities Telecom Technology Retail & E-Commerce All Industries →
CONNECT
Contact Us Request Assessment Responsible Disclosure Client Certificate Verification Training Certificate Verification
SECURITY TESTING (VAPT)
Web Application VAPT Mobile App Security API Security Testing Cloud Security Assessment Network Security Audit IoT Penetration Testing OT/SCADA Security Database Penetration Wireless Security CREST VAPT
ADVANCED ASSESSMENT
Red Team Operations AI/LLM Security Audit Digital Forensics Cyber Intelligence Secure Code Review DevSecOps Hardware Security Thick Client Security Host Level Security Automotive VAPT Telecom VAPT
DATA & PRIVACY
Data Security Audit Data Privacy Audit Data Masking & Privacy DSPM Data Breach Simulation SBOM & SCA Website Security All Assurance Services →
COMPLIANCE FRAMEWORKS
ISO 27001:2022 SOC 2 PCI-DSS HIPAA GDPR DPDPA NIST CSF IRDAI ISO 22301 (BCP) ISO 42001 (AI) IEC 62443 (OT) ISO 21434 (Automotive) PDPL (Saudi)
GRC SERVICES
GRC Framework Cyber Risk Assessment Third-Party Risk (TPRM) Data Privacy Compliance Data Retention Policy National Security Compliance Cybersecurity Insurance All Compliance Services →
GOVERNANCE LAYER
Data Governance Security Posture Management Cybersecurity Maturity AI Maturity Assessment Cyber Resilience BCP/DR Planning vIT Compliance Business Impact Analysis
MANAGED SECURITY
Managed Security (MSSP) SOC as a Service V-CISO Incident Response Virtual Security Team Third Eye (Surveillance)
CONTINUOUS MONITORING
SOAR Integration Security Monitoring Threat Intelligence Platform Cyber Threat Intelligence Lateral Movement Detection Penetration Test as Service
DEFENSIVE OPS
Perimeter Security Access Control Review Cloud Config Review CDN Security Network Architecture Cloud Security Management Virtualization Security
ELITE ASSESSMENTS
Threat Modeling Ransomware Readiness Threat & Vulnerability Mgmt Military Grade Review Hacker's POV Assessment
HUMAN LAYER
Security Awareness Training Phishing Simulation Tabletop Exercise Secure Code Training Cybersecurity Culture Cybersec Leadership Incident Response Training Data Privacy Training
STRATEGIC SERVICES
Application Security Governance Quarterly AppSec Review Minimum Security Baseline Secure SDLC Cyber Sense Plan Integration Threat Analysis Infra Risk Assessment Web Extensions Security bSAFE Security Score → Layered Security Philosophy →
PLATFORMS
LURA Portal LuraInsight (SAST) bSAFE Score BriskBox All Products →
Staffing
LEARN
Blog Videos Case Studies Press Room
INTELLIGENCE
Threatsploit Reports Security Essentials Carousel Flyers & Downloads All Resources →
Home → Blog → CWE-78 Improper Neutralization Of Specia...
Web Application Security

CWE-78 Improper Neutralization Of Special Elements Used In An OS Command Injection

October 03, 2018
4 min read
5,862 Views
Contents
CWE-78 Improper Neutralization Of Special Elements Used In An OS Command Injection

Description:

OS command injection is a technique used via a web interface in order to execute OS commands on a web server. The user supplies operating system commands through a web interface in order to execute OS commands. Any web interface that is not properly sanitized is subjected to this exploit. With the ability to execute OS commands, the user can upload malicious programs or even obtain passwords. OS command injection is preventable when security is emphasized during the designing and development phases of the applications.

This attack differs from code injection, where the code injection allows the attacker to add his own code that is then executed by the application. In code injection, the attacker extends the default functionality of the application without the necessity of executing system commands. 

Contents:

  • Description
  • Problem Location
  • General Tools Used
  • Mitigations And Conclusion
  • How Briskinfosec Helps You?
  • Curious To Read Our Case Studies?
  • Last But Not The Least
  • You May Be Interested On

Problem Location:

The Common Parameter or Injection Points examples are (file, location, path, display, load, retrieve, read).

  • The manipulating variables references files with dot-dot-slash (../) sequences, with its variations, or by using absolute file paths.

  • It may be possible to access arbitrary files and directories stored on file system including application source code, or configuration, and critical system files.

  • Code execution on the web server.

  • Are there request parameters which could be used for file-related operations?

  • Are there interesting variable names?

General Tools Used:

  • OWASP WebScarab
  • OWASP WebGoat
  • Commix
  • Burp suite
  • DotDotPwn
  • Enconding/Decoding tools.

Mitigations And Conclusion:

  • Application developers sometimes implement operating system interactions using calls to system utilities to create and remove directories. For example, here an un-escaped input can lead to arbitrary OS commands being executed.
  • If possible, do not permit appending file paths directly. Make them hard-coded or selectable from a limited hard-coded path list via an index variable.
  • If you definitely need dynamic path concatenation, ensure you only accept required characters such as “a-Z” and “0-9”. Importantly, don’t allow “..” or “/” or “” (null byte), or any such unexpected characters.
  • It is important to limit the API to allow inclusion only from a directory and from directories below it. This way you can ensure that any potential attack cannot perform a directory traversal attack.

How Briskinfosec Helps You?

Briskinfosec intensely assesses the attack surfaces of your organizations. Further, our security professionals provide proper website security assessments. Also, we also harden your server’s security defences and ensure your server strength is mighty.

Curious To Read Our Case Studies?

We have a huge collection of case studies for significant security sectors like mobile, network, web- based, database, wireless, and much more. Read out our case studies to know the way we prospered during the challenge of vulnerabilities eradication.

Last But Not The Least:

The happenings of many global cyber breach incidents go unnoticed. This is due to the ubiquitous presence of them in indistinct websites, rather than all those being eligible for people to see and download from one spot at a single click shot. But, we present you a priceless gift disguised as a Threatsploit Adversary report which contains the globally occurred cyber breaches, the losses faced by companies, and much more. Instead of wandering here and there in search engines, just click our above report. You’ll save your time and feel sublime!

You May Be Interested On:

  • How to become ethical hackers and shine like a star
  • Techniques to Secure your SOAP and REST API
  • Are you still fighting against decade old application attacks
  • Sparta 
Web Application Security Website Security Information Security
Share this article
A
Written by
Arulselvar Thomas Founder & Director
Cybersecurity expert at Briskinfosec Technology and Consulting, specializing in security assessments, compliance, and helping organizations build resilient security postures.
Recent Blogs
Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercises and Vendor Risk Management
Building an AI-Augmented SOC That Actually Works
How to Create a Secure AWS IAM Audit User for Cloud Security Assessments
Related Services
VAPT Cloud Security Red Team Network Security API Security Mobile App Security
Latest Videos
Navigating Compliance in Cybersecurity Laws, Privacy laws and Your Business
Navigating Compliance in Cybersecurity Laws,...
Apr 26, 2024
Beyond Size: How to Elevate your SOC Cybersecurity Monitoring
Beyond Size: How to Elevate your SOC Cybersec...
Mar 20, 2024
Red Team Assessment
Red Team Assessment
Mar 13, 2024
Get Protected

Discuss your security posture with our certified experts. Get a free initial assessment.

Schedule Free Consultation WhatsApp Us

Related Articles

The Evolving Role of the CISO From Technical Expert to Strategic Advisor
The Evolving Role of the CISO From Technical Expert to Strategic Advisor
Aug 21, 2025 · 1,152
When Seconds Count Rethinking Incident Response in the Age of AI-Powered Attacks
When Seconds Count Rethinking Incident Response in the Age of AI-Powered Attacks
Jul 18, 2025 · 2,303
AI in Cybersecurity Separating Hype from Reality for CISOs
AI in Cybersecurity Separating Hype from Reality for CISOs
Jul 17, 2025 · 1,905
Read Next (Top Blog)
Getting Started with Frida

Ready to Strengthen Your Security?

Talk to our CREST-certified security experts today

WhatsApp Us
Chat instantly with our security team
AI Presales Bot
Get instant answers from LURA AI
Schedule Consultation
Book a free security consultation
Email Us
contact@briskinfosec.com
Link copied to clipboard!
About Us
About Briskinfosec Certin Our Clients Testimonials Press Room
Services
Application Security Mobile App Security Cloud Security Red Team Operations SOC as a Service MSSP All Services →
Compliance
ISO 27001 SOC 2 PCI-DSS GDPR HIPAA All Compliance →
Resources
Blog Videos Case Studies Threatsploit Reports All Resources →
Connect
Careers Partnership Contact Us Responsible Disclosure Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy
India (HQ) Bascon Futura Sv It Park, 12th Floor, 10/2,
Venkatanarayana Rd, T. Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600017
+91 73059 79248 · contact@briskinfosec.com
UAE (Dubai) IFZA Business Park, Building A1, Dubai Digital Park,
Dubai Silicon Oasis, Post Box 342001, UAE
contact@briskinfosec.com
Briskinfosec CREST accredited cybersecurity company and globally recognized provider of penetration testing and VAPT services CERT-In empanelled cybersecurity company with headquarters in Chennai and operations in Dubai offering VAPT services Briskinfosec ISO 27001 certified company ensuring robust information security management system Briskinfosec ISO 9001:2015 certified cybersecurity company committed to quality management in India Briskinfosec is a DUNS registered cybersecurity company with a verified global business identity offering VAPT services
© 2026 Briskinfosec Technology & Consulting Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved.
Scope Your Security Program
Chat on WhatsApp Ask LURA AI AI