CWE-77 refers to the improper neutralisation of special elements used in a command. These special elements, when inadequately sanitised, allow attackers to inject malicious commands that the system interprets and executes. This vulnerability commonly appears in applications that dynamically construct system commands based on user inputs.
Improper input validation occurs when a software application fails to verify that input received is within the expected range, format, type, or value before processing. This weakness paves the way for a variety of security exploits, including injection attacks, buffer overflows, and data manipulation, which can compromise application functionality and user data.
Injection vulnerabilities rank among the most critical and persistent issues in web application security. Identified as one of the OWASP Top 10 security risks, these vulnerabilities pose significant threats to organisations of all sizes, potentially leading to data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage.