CWE-1293 Base Draft

Missing Source Correlation of Multiple Independent Data

This vulnerability occurs when a system trusts a single source of data without verification, making it impossible to detect if that source has been tampered with or compromised by an attacker.

Definition

What is CWE-1293?

This vulnerability occurs when a system trusts a single source of data without verification, making it impossible to detect if that source has been tampered with or compromised by an attacker.
Many systems must inherently trust the data they receive, but relying on just one source creates a single point of failure. To build resilience, you should query multiple independent sources for the same critical information and compare the results. If the responses differ, the system can flag sources providing minority or conflicting data as potentially compromised. If there aren't enough consistent responses to establish a clear consensus, treat all queried sources as suspect. The required number of independent sources should scale with the criticality of the data. For high-stakes operations where incorrect data causes serious harm, increase the number of sources you cross-check. This correlation creates a simple but effective integrity check, moving security from blind trust to verified consensus.
Real-world impact

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-1293

No public CVE references are linked to this CWE in MITRE's catalog yet.

How attackers exploit it

Step-by-step attacker path

  1. 1

    Identify a code path that handles untrusted input without validation.

  2. 2

    Craft a payload that exercises the unsafe behavior — injection, traversal, overflow, or logic abuse.

  3. 3

    Deliver the payload through a normal request and observe the application's reaction.

  4. 4

    Iterate until the response leaks data, executes attacker code, or escalates privileges.

Vulnerable code example

Vulnerable pseudo

MITRE has not published a code example for this CWE. The pattern below is illustrative — see Resources for canonical references.

Vulnerable pseudo 
// Example pattern — see MITRE for the canonical references.
function handleRequest(input) {
  // Untrusted input flows directly into the sensitive sink.
  return executeUnsafe(input);
}
Secure code example

Secure pseudo

Secure pseudo 
// Validate, sanitize, or use a safe API before reaching the sink.
function handleRequest(input) {
  const safe = validateAndEscape(input);
  return executeWithGuards(safe);
}
What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.
Prevention checklist

How to prevent CWE-1293

  • Requirements Design system to use a Practical Byzantine fault method, to request information from multiple sources to verify the data and report on potentially compromised information sources.
  • Implementation Failure to use a Practical Byzantine fault method when requesting data. Lack of place to report potentially compromised information sources. Relying on non-independent information sources for integrity checking. Failure to report information sources that respond in the minority to incident response procedures.
Detection signals

How to detect CWE-1293

SAST High

Run static analysis (SAST) on the codebase looking for the unsafe pattern in the data flow.

DAST Moderate

Run dynamic application security testing against the live endpoint.

Runtime Moderate

Watch runtime logs for unusual exception traces, malformed input, or authorization bypass attempts.

Code review Moderate

Code review: flag any new code that handles input from this surface without using the validated framework helpers.

Plexicus auto-fix

Plexicus auto-detects CWE-1293 and opens a fix PR in under 60 seconds.

Codex Remedium scans every commit, identifies this exact weakness, and ships a reviewer-ready pull request with the patch. No tickets. No hand-offs.

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Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What is CWE-1293?

This vulnerability occurs when a system trusts a single source of data without verification, making it impossible to detect if that source has been tampered with or compromised by an attacker.

How serious is CWE-1293?

MITRE has not published a likelihood-of-exploit rating for this weakness. Treat it as medium-impact until your threat model proves otherwise.

What languages or platforms are affected by CWE-1293?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: Not OS-Specific, Not Architecture-Specific, Not Technology-Specific.

How can I prevent CWE-1293?

Design system to use a Practical Byzantine fault method, to request information from multiple sources to verify the data and report on potentially compromised information sources. Failure to use a Practical Byzantine fault method when requesting data. Lack of place to report potentially compromised information sources. Relying on non-independent information sources for integrity checking. Failure to report information sources that respond in the minority to incident response procedures.

How does Plexicus detect and fix CWE-1293?

Plexicus's SAST engine matches the data-flow signature for CWE-1293 on every commit. When a match is found, our Codex Remedium agent opens a fix PR with the corrected code, tests, and a one-line summary for the reviewer.

Where can I learn more about CWE-1293?

MITRE publishes the canonical definition at https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/1293.html. You can also reference OWASP and NIST documentation for adjacent guidance.

Related weaknesses

Weaknesses related to CWE-1293

CWE-345 Parent

Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly check where data comes from or confirm its legitimacy, allowing untrusted…

CWE-346 Sibling

Origin Validation Error

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CWE-347 Sibling

Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly check the digital signature on data, or skips the verification step…

CWE-348 Sibling

Use of Less Trusted Source

This vulnerability occurs when a system has access to multiple sources for the same critical data, but it chooses to rely on the less…

CWE-349 Sibling

Acceptance of Extraneous Untrusted Data With Trusted Data

This vulnerability occurs when a system processes both trusted and untrusted data together, but fails to separate them. The application…

CWE-351 Sibling

Insufficient Type Distinction

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly differentiate between different types of data or objects, leading to…

CWE-352 Sibling

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) happens when a web application cannot reliably tell if a user actually intended to submit a request,…

CWE-353 Sibling

Missing Support for Integrity Check

This vulnerability occurs when a system uses a communication protocol that lacks built-in integrity verification, such as a checksum or…

CWE-354 Sibling

Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value

This vulnerability occurs when software fails to properly check the integrity of data by validating its checksum or hash value. Without…

Resources

Further reading

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