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CodeSonar® 9.2p0 CONFIDENTIAL CodeSecure Inc
C and C++
Binaries

BADFUNC.PATH.SHELLEXECUTE : Use of ShellExecute

Summary

A use of ShellExecute() or ShellExecuteEx(), which are vulnerable to path spoofing if the file name argument is not securely specified.

Properties

Class Name Use of ShellExecute
Significance security
Mnemonic BADFUNC.PATH.SHELLEXECUTE
Categories
CWE CWE:676 Use of Potentially Dangerous Function
DISA-3r10 DISA-3r10:V-6157 The designer will ensure the application does not contain invalid URL or path references.
BSI BSI:ShellExecute Use of ShellExecute
OWASP-2021 OWASP-2021:A4 Insecure design
OWASP-2025 OWASP-2025:A06 Insecure Design
Availability Available for C and C++.
Enabling Checks for this warning class are disabled by default. To enable them, add the following WARNING_FILTER rule to the project configuration file. 
WARNING_FILTER += allow class="Use of ShellExecute"
To enable all BSI-related classes, including all BSI-specific BADFUNC classes, use the bsi configuration preset.

Resolution

HINSTANCE ShellExecute(
  • HWND hwnd,
  • LPCTSTR lpOperation,
  • LPCTSTR lpFile,
  • LPCTSTR lpParameters,
  • LPCTSTR lpDirectory,
  • INT nShowCmd)
BOOL ShellExecuteEx(LPSHELLEXECUTEINFO lpExecInfo)

For uses of ShellExecute(), make sure that the lpFile and lpDirectory parameters are fully-specified path names from a trusted sources, and that the lpFile value includes a file extension. Additionally, if there is any white space in the lpParameters string make sure it is correctly double-quoted.

For uses of ShellExecuteEx(), the lpFile, lpParameters and lpDirectory values are encapsulated in lpExecInfo, but the same concerns apply.

Once you are satisfied that these conditions hold, you can change the warning state to Suppressed.

Relevant Configuration File Parameters

This class is implemented using a BAD_FUNCTION_* rule set in the general template configuration file.

The following configuration file parameters affect checks for this warning class.

 

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