CWE-363: Race Condition Enabling Link Following
low-riskThe product checks the status of a file or directory before accessing it, which produces a race condition in which the file can be replaced with a link before the access is performed, causing the product to access the wrong file.
Abstraction: Base
Common Consequences
Confidentiality
→
Read Files or Directories
Detection Methods
Automated Static Analysis
Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.)
Real-World Examples (10)
| CVE | CVSS | EPSS | KEV |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2022-21658 | 7.3 | 0.9% | — |
| CVE-2024-27102 | 9.9 | 0.4% | — |
| CVE-2024-45310 | 3.6 | 0.1% | — |
| CVE-2025-62161 | 10.0 | 0.0% | — |
| CVE-2025-62596 | 10.0 | 0.0% | — |
| CVE-2018-6693 | 5.3 | 0.0% | — |
| CVE-2025-13492 | 7.0 | 0.0% | — |
| CVE-2025-52565 | 7.5 | 0.0% | — |
| CVE-2025-52881 | 7.5 | 0.0% | — |
| CVE-2025-31133 | 7.8 | 0.0% | — |
0
/ 100
low-risk
Active Threat
0/50 · Minimal
Exploit Availability
0/50 · Minimal