Run static analysis (SAST) on the codebase looking for the unsafe pattern in the data flow.
CWE-360 Base Incomplete
Trust of System Event Data
This vulnerability occurs when software blindly trusts system event data without verifying its source, allowing attackers to spoof events and manipulate application behavior.
Definition
What is CWE-360?
This vulnerability occurs when software blindly trusts system event data without verifying its source, allowing attackers to spoof events and manipulate application behavior.
System events, like Windows messages or application-level notifications, function as an internal broadcast system without built-in authentication. Any program running in the same context (like a Windows desktop session) can send these events to any listening window or process. Since there's no default mechanism to verify where an event originated, malicious applications can easily forge them.
To prevent exploitation, developers must implement explicit validation for all incoming event data. This includes verifying the sender's identity or permissions, sanitizing the event content, and implementing allow-lists for expected commands. Never assume an event is safe simply because it arrived through a system messaging channel.
Real-world impact
Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-360
-
Attacker uses Shatter attack to bypass GUI-enforced protection for CVE-2003-0908.
How attackers exploit it
Step-by-step attacker path
- 1
Identify a code path that handles untrusted input without validation.
- 2
Craft a payload that exercises the unsafe behavior — injection, traversal, overflow, or logic abuse.
- 3
Deliver the payload through a normal request and observe the application's reaction.
- 4
Iterate until the response leaks data, executes attacker code, or escalates privileges.
Vulnerable code example
Vulnerable Java
This example code prints out secret information when an authorized user activates a button:
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if (e.getSource() == button) {
System.out.println("print out secret information");
}
} Secure code example
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-360
- Architecture and Design Never trust or rely any of the information in an Event for security.
Detection signals
How to detect CWE-360
Run dynamic application security testing against the live endpoint.
Watch runtime logs for unusual exception traces, malformed input, or authorization bypass attempts.
Code review: flag any new code that handles input from this surface without using the validated framework helpers.
Plexicus auto-detects CWE-360 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.
Frequently asked questions What is CWE-360?
How serious is CWE-360?
What languages or platforms are affected by CWE-360?
How can I prevent CWE-360?
How does Plexicus detect and fix CWE-360?
Where can I learn more about CWE-360?
Frequently asked questions
What is CWE-360?
This vulnerability occurs when software blindly trusts system event data without verifying its source, allowing attackers to spoof events and manipulate application behavior.
How serious is CWE-360?
MITRE rates the likelihood of exploit as High — this weakness is actively exploited in the wild and should be prioritized for remediation.
What languages or platforms are affected by CWE-360?
MITRE has not specified affected platforms for this CWE — it can apply across most application stacks.
How can I prevent CWE-360?
Never trust or rely any of the information in an Event for security.
How does Plexicus detect and fix CWE-360?
Plexicus's SAST engine matches the data-flow signature for CWE-360 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-360?
MITRE publishes the canonical definition at https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/360.html. You can also reference OWASP and NIST documentation for adjacent guidance.
Related weaknesses
Weaknesses related to CWE-360
CWE-345 Parent
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CWE-1293 Sibling
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CWE-346 Sibling
Origin Validation Error
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CWE-347 Sibling
Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature
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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…
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