CWE-500 Detail

An object contains a public static field that is not marked final, which might allow it to be modified in unexpected ways.

Public static variables can be read without an accessor and changed without a mutator by any classes in the application.

Background Details

When a field is declared public but not final, the field can be read and written to by arbitrary Java code.

Modes Of Introduction

Implementation

Applicable Platforms

Language

Name: C++ (Undetermined)
Name: Java (Undetermined)

Common Consequences

Potential Mitigations

Phases : Architecture and Design
Clearly identify the scope for all critical data elements, including whether they should be regarded as static.
Phases : Implementation

Make any static fields private and constant.

A constant field is denoted by the keyword 'const' in C/C++ and ' final' in Java

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.)
Effectiveness : High

Vulnerability Mapping Notes

Justification : This CWE entry is at the Variant level of abstraction, which is a preferred level of abstraction for mapping to the root causes of vulnerabilities.
Comment : Carefully read both the name and description to ensure that this mapping is an appropriate fit. Do not try to 'force' a mapping to a lower-level Base/Variant simply to comply with this preferred level of abstraction.

References

REF-18

The CLASP Application Security Process
Secure Software, Inc..
https://cwe.mitre.org/documents/sources/TheCLASPApplicationSecurityProcess.pdf

Submission

Modifications