CA2355: Unsafe DataSet or DataTable in deserialized object graph
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Rule ID | CA2355 |
| Title | Unsafe DataSet or DataTable in deserialized object graph |
| Category | Security |
| Fix is breaking or non-breaking | Non-breaking |
| Enabled by default in .NET 9 | No |
Cause
Deserializing when the casted or specified type's object graph can include a DataSet or DataTable.
This rule uses a different approach to a similar rule, CA2353: Unsafe DataSet or DataTable in serializable type.
The casted or specified type is evaluated when:
- Initializing a DataContractSerializer object
- Initializing a DataContractJsonSerializer object
- Initializing an XmlSerializer object
- Invoking JavaScriptSerializer.Deserialize
- Invoking JavaScriptSerializer.DeserializeObject
- Invoking XmlSerializer.FromTypes
- Invoking Newtonsoft Json.NET JsonSerializer.Deserialize
- Invoking Newtonsoft Json.NET JsonConvert.DeserializeObject
Rule description
When deserializing untrusted input with BinaryFormatter and the deserialized object graph contains a DataSet or DataTable, an attacker can craft a malicious payload to perform a denial of service attack. There may be unknown remote code execution vulnerabilities.
For more information, see DataSet and DataTable security guidance.
How to fix violations
- If possible, use Entity Framework rather than DataSet and DataTable.
- Make the serialized data tamper-proof. After serialization, cryptographically sign the serialized data. Before deserialization, validate the cryptographic signature. Protect the cryptographic key from being disclosed and design for key rotations.
When to suppress warnings
It's safe to suppress a warning from this rule if:
- You know the input is trusted. Consider that your application's trust boundary and data flows may change over time.
- You've taken one of the precautions in How to fix violations.
Suppress a warning
If you just want to suppress a single violation, add preprocessor directives to your source file to disable and then re-enable the rule.
#pragma warning disable CA2355
// The code that's violating the rule is on this line.
#pragma warning restore CA2355
To disable the rule for a file, folder, or project, set its severity to none in the configuration file.
[*.{cs,vb}]
dotnet_diagnostic.CA2355.severity = none
For more information, see How to suppress code analysis warnings.
Pseudo-code examples
Violation
using System.Data;
using System.IO;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
[Serializable]
public class MyClass
{
public MyOtherClass OtherClass { get; set; }
}
[Serializable]
public class MyOtherClass
{
private DataSet myDataSet;
}
public class ExampleClass
{
public MyClass Deserialize(Stream stream)
{
BinaryFormatter bf = new BinaryFormatter();
return (MyClass) bf.Deserialize(stream);
}
}
Related rules
CA2350: Ensure DataTable.ReadXml()'s input is trusted
CA2351: Ensure DataSet.ReadXml()'s input is trusted
CA2353: Unsafe DataSet or DataTable in serializable type
CA2356: Unsafe DataSet or DataTable in web deserialized object graph
CA2361: Ensure autogenerated class containing DataSet.ReadXml() is not used with untrusted data
