CWE-909 Detail

The product does not initialize a critical resource.

Many resources require initialization before they can be properly used. If a resource is not initialized, it could contain unpredictable or expired data, or it could be initialized to defaults that are invalid. This can have security implications when the resource is expected to have certain properties or values.

Modes Of Introduction

Implementation

Piattaforme applicabili

Linguaggio

Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined)

Conseguenze comuni

Esempi osservati

Potential Mitigations

Phases : Implementation
Explicitly initialize the resource before use. If this is performed through an API function or standard procedure, follow all specified steps.
Phases : Implementation
Pay close attention to complex conditionals that affect initialization, since some branches might not perform the initialization.
Phases : Implementation
Avoid race conditions (CWE-362) during initialization routines.
Phases : Build and Compilation
Run or compile your product with settings that generate warnings about uninitialized variables or data.

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

Note sulla mappatura delle vulnerabilità

Giustificazione : This CWE entry is a Class and might have Base-level children that would be more appropriate
Commento : Examine children of this entry to see if there is a better fit

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