Tag Archives: Improper Locking

CWE

CWE-667 – Improper Locking

Read Time:2 Minute, 23 Second

Description

The software does not properly acquire or release a lock on a resource, leading to unexpected resource state changes and behaviors.

Modes of Introduction:

– Architecture and Design

 

 

Related Weaknesses

CWE-662
CWE-662
CWE-662
CWE-662

 

Consequences

Availability: DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU)

Inconsistent locking discipline can lead to deadlock.

 

Potential Mitigations

Phase: Implementation

Description: 

Use industry standard APIs to implement locking mechanism.

CVE References

  • CVE-2009-0935
    • Attacker provides invalid address to a memory-reading function, causing a mutex to be unlocked twice
  • CVE-2010-4210
    • function in OS kernel unlocks a mutex that was not previously locked, causing a panic or overwrite of arbitrary memory.
  • CVE-2008-4302
    • Chain: OS kernel does not properly handle a failure of a function call (CWE-755), leading to an unlock of a resource that was not locked (CWE-832), with resultant crash.
  • CVE-2009-1243
    • OS kernel performs an unlock in some incorrect circumstances, leading to panic.
  • CVE-2009-4272
    • deadlock triggered by packets that force collisions in a routing table
  • CVE-2002-1850
    • read/write deadlock between web server and script
  • CVE-2004-0174
    • web server deadlock involving multiple listening connections
  • CVE-2009-1388
    • multiple simultaneous calls to the same function trigger deadlock.
  • CVE-2006-5158
    • chain: other weakness leads to NULL pointer dereference (CWE-476) or deadlock (CWE-833).
  • CVE-2006-4342
    • deadlock when an operation is performed on a resource while it is being removed.
  • CVE-2006-2374
    • Deadlock in device driver triggered by using file handle of a related device.
  • CVE-2006-2275
    • Deadlock when large number of small messages cannot be processed quickly enough.
  • CVE-2005-3847
    • OS kernel has deadlock triggered by a signal during a core dump.
  • CVE-2005-2456
    • Chain: array index error (CWE-129) leads to deadlock (CWE-833)
  • CVE-2001-0682
    • Program can not execute when attacker obtains a mutex.
  • CVE-2002-1914
    • Program can not execute when attacker obtains a lock on a critical output file.
  • CVE-2002-1915
    • Program can not execute when attacker obtains a lock on a critical output file.
  • CVE-2002-0051
    • Critical file can be opened with exclusive read access by user, preventing application of security policy. Possibly related to improper permissions, large-window race condition.
  • CVE-2000-0338
    • Chain: predictable file names used for locking, allowing attacker to create the lock beforehand. Resultant from permissions and randomness.
  • CVE-2000-1198
    • Chain: Lock files with predictable names. Resultant from randomness.
  • CVE-2002-1869
    • Product does not check if it can write to a log file, allowing attackers to avoid logging by accessing the file using an exclusive lock. Overlaps unchecked error condition. This is not quite CWE-412, but close.