CWE-595 Detail

The product compares object references instead of the contents of the objects themselves, preventing it from detecting equivalent objects.

For example, in Java, comparing objects using == usually produces deceptive results, since the == operator compares object references rather than values; often, this means that using == for strings is actually comparing the strings' references, not their values.

Modes Of Introduction

Implementation

Applicable Platforms

Language

Name: Java (Undetermined)
Name: JavaScript (Undetermined)
Name: PHP (Undetermined)
Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined)

Common Consequences

Potential Mitigations

Phases : Implementation
In Java, use the equals() method to compare objects instead of the == operator. If using ==, it is important for performance reasons that your objects are created by a static factory, not by a constructor.

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-954

Equality comparisons and sameness
Mozilla MDN.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Equality_comparisons_and_sameness

Submission

Modifications