Missing Release of File Descriptor or Handle after Effective Lifetime| ID: 775 | Date: (C)2012-05-14 (M)2022-10-10 |
| Type: weakness | Status: INCOMPLETE |
| Abstraction Type: Variant |
Description
The software does not release a file descriptor or handle after
its effective lifetime has ended, i.e., after the file descriptor/handle is no
longer needed.
Extended DescriptionWhen a file descriptor or handle is not released after use (typically by
explicitly closing it), attackers can cause a denial of service by consuming
all available file descriptors/handles, or otherwise preventing other system
processes from obtaining their own file descriptors/handles.
Likelihood of Exploit: Medium to High
Applicable PlatformsNone
Time Of Introduction
Common Consequences
| Scope | Technical Impact | Notes |
|---|
| Availability | DoS: resource consumption
(other) | When allocating resources without limits, an attacker could prevent
all other processes from accessing the same type of resource. |
Detection MethodsNone
Potential Mitigations
| Phase | Strategy | Description | Effectiveness | Notes |
|---|
| OperationArchitecture and Design | Limit Resource Consumption | Use resource-limiting settings provided by the operating system or
environment. For example, when managing system resources in POSIX,
setrlimit() can be used to set limits for certain types of resources,
and getrlimit() can determine how many resources are available. However,
these functions are not available on all operating systems.When the current levels get close to the maximum that is defined for
the application (see CWE-770), then limit the allocation of further
resources to privileged users; alternately, begin releasing resources
for less-privileged users. While this mitigation may protect the system
from attack, it will not necessarily stop attackers from adversely
impacting other users.Ensure that the application performs the appropriate error checks and
error handling in case resources become unavailable (CWE-703). | | |
Relationships
| Related CWE | Type | View | Chain |
|---|
| CWE-775 ChildOf CWE-892 | Category | CWE-888 | |
Demonstrative ExamplesNone
Observed Examples
- CVE-2007-0897 : Chain: anti-virus product encounters a malformed file but returns from a function without closing a file descriptor (CWE-775) leading to file descriptor consumption (CWE-400) and failed scans.
For more examples, refer to CVE relations in the bottom box.
White Box Definitions None
Black Box Definitions None
Taxynomy MappingsNone
References:
- Mark Dowd John McDonald Justin Schuh .The Art of Software Security Assessment 1st Edition. Addison Wesley. Section:'Chapter 10, "File Descriptor Leaks", Page
582.'. Published on 2006.
