CWE-628 Base Draft

Function Call with Incorrectly Specified Arguments

This weakness occurs when a function is called with arguments that are incorrectly specified, causing the function to behave in an unintended and consistently wrong manner.

Definition

What is CWE-628?

This weakness occurs when a function is called with arguments that are incorrectly specified, causing the function to behave in an unintended and consistently wrong manner.
This bug happens when the arguments passed to a function don't match what the function expects. Common mistakes include passing the wrong variable, providing too many or too few arguments, mixing up the argument order, using an incompatible data type, or supplying an incorrect literal value. Any of these errors will cause the function to process the wrong data, leading to unpredictable results, crashes, or security vulnerabilities. For developers, preventing this issue requires careful attention to function signatures and API documentation. Always double-check the number, type, and order of arguments when calling functions, especially when working with external libraries or complex internal APIs. Using modern IDE features like type hints and auto-completion can help catch these mismatches early in the development cycle.
Real-world impact

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-628

  • CVE-2006-7049

    The method calls the functions with the wrong argument order, which allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions.

How attackers exploit it

Step-by-step attacker path

  1. 1

    The following PHP method authenticates a user given a username/password combination but is called with the parameters in reverse order.

  2. 2

    This Perl code intends to record whether a user authenticated successfully or not, and to exit if the user fails to authenticate. However, when it calls ReportAuth(), the third argument is specified as 0 instead of 1, so it does not exit.

  3. 3

    In the following Java snippet, the accessGranted() method is accidentally called with the static ADMIN_ROLES array rather than the user roles.

Vulnerable code example

Vulnerable PHP

The following PHP method authenticates a user given a username/password combination but is called with the parameters in reverse order.

Vulnerable PHP 
function authenticate($username, $password) {
```
// authenticate user* 
  		...}
  
  authenticate($_POST['password'], $_POST['username']);
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-628

  • Build and Compilation Once found, these issues are easy to fix. Use code inspection tools and relevant compiler features to identify potential violations. Pay special attention to code that is not likely to be exercised heavily during QA.
  • Architecture and Design Make sure your API's are stable before you use them in production code.
Detection signals

How to detect CWE-628

Other

Since these bugs typically introduce incorrect behavior that is obvious to users, they are found quickly, unless they occur in rarely-tested code paths. Managing the correct number of arguments can be made more difficult in cases where format strings are used, or when variable numbers of arguments are supported.

Plexicus auto-fix

Plexicus auto-detects CWE-628 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.

Get a demo Try Plexicus free
Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What is CWE-628?

This weakness occurs when a function is called with arguments that are incorrectly specified, causing the function to behave in an unintended and consistently wrong manner.

How serious is CWE-628?

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-628?

MITRE has not specified affected platforms for this CWE — it can apply across most application stacks.

How can I prevent CWE-628?

Once found, these issues are easy to fix. Use code inspection tools and relevant compiler features to identify potential violations. Pay special attention to code that is not likely to be exercised heavily during QA. Make sure your API's are stable before you use them in production code.

How does Plexicus detect and fix CWE-628?

Plexicus's SAST engine matches the data-flow signature for CWE-628 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-628?

MITRE publishes the canonical definition at https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/628.html. You can also reference OWASP and NIST documentation for adjacent guidance.

Related weaknesses

Weaknesses related to CWE-628

CWE-573 Parent

Improper Following of Specification by Caller

This weakness occurs when software fails to properly follow the documented rules, protocols, or requirements of an external component it…

CWE-103 Sibling

Struts: Incomplete validate() Method Definition

This vulnerability occurs in a Struts application when a validator form either completely omits a validate() method or includes one but…

CWE-104 Sibling

Struts: Form Bean Does Not Extend Validation Class

This vulnerability occurs in Apache Struts applications when a form bean class does not properly extend the framework's validation class.…

CWE-243 Sibling

Creation of chroot Jail Without Changing Working Directory

This vulnerability occurs when a program creates a chroot jail but fails to change its current working directory afterward. Because the…

CWE-253 Sibling

Incorrect Check of Function Return Value

This vulnerability occurs when a program misinterprets or improperly validates the return value from a function, causing it to miss…

CWE-296 Sibling

Improper Following of a Certificate's Chain of Trust

This vulnerability occurs when software fails to properly validate the entire certificate chain back to a trusted root authority. This…

CWE-304 Sibling

Missing Critical Step in Authentication

This vulnerability occurs when a software authentication process omits a required step, weakening its overall security.

CWE-325 Sibling

Missing Cryptographic Step

This vulnerability occurs when a software implementation skips a critical step in a cryptographic process, resulting in security that is…

CWE-329 Sibling

Generation of Predictable IV with CBC Mode

This vulnerability occurs when software uses a predictable or reused Initialization Vector (IV) with Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) mode…

Resources

Further reading

Ready when you are

Don't Let Security
Weigh You Down.

Stop choosing between AI velocity and security debt. Plexicus is the only platform that runs Vibe Coding Security and ASPM in parallel — one workflow, every codebase.

Get started free Book a demo