CWE-1116 Base Incomplete

Inaccurate Comments

This weakness occurs when code comments do not correctly describe or explain the actual behavior of the associated code. Misleading comments create a disconnect between what the documentation says…

Definition

What is CWE-1116?

This weakness occurs when code comments do not correctly describe or explain the actual behavior of the associated code. Misleading comments create a disconnect between what the documentation says and what the program actually does.
Inaccurate comments introduce confusion and inefficiency during code reviews and security audits. Reviewers must spend extra time verifying actual behavior against stated intent, slowing down the validation process and increasing the risk that subtle logic errors or security flaws will be overlooked. Over time, this inconsistency makes code maintenance significantly harder, indirectly harming security. It becomes more difficult to identify root causes of bugs or vulnerabilities, and developers are more likely to introduce new defects when modifying code they do not fully understand due to misleading documentation.
Auswirkungen in der Praxis

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-1116

Bisher sind in MITREs Katalog keine öffentlichen CVE-Referenzen mit dieser CWE verknüpft.

Wie Angreifer es ausnutzen

Angreiferpfad Schritt für Schritt

  1. 1

    In the following Java example the code performs a calculation to determine how much medicine to administer. A comment is provided to give insight into what the calculation shoud be doing. Unfortunately the comment does not match the actual code and thus leaves the reader to wonder which is correct.

  2. 2

    In the correction below, the code functionality has been verified, and the comment has been corrected to reflect the proper calculation.

  3. 3

    Note that in real-world code, these values should be validated to disallow negative numbers, prevent integer overflow, etc.

Verwundbares Codebeispiel

Vulnerable Java

In the following Java example the code performs a calculation to determine how much medicine to administer. A comment is provided to give insight into what the calculation shoud be doing. Unfortunately the comment does not match the actual code and thus leaves the reader to wonder which is correct.

Verwundbar Java 
public class Main {

```
   public static void main(String[] args) { 
  	 int pt_weight = 83;
  	 int mg_per_kg = 3;
  	 int daily_dose = 0;
  	 // Add the patient weight and Mg/Kg to calculate the correct daily dose
  	 daily_dose = pt_weight * mg_per_kg;
  	 return dosage; 
   } 
 }
Sicheres Codebeispiel

Secure Java

In the correction below, the code functionality has been verified, and the comment has been corrected to reflect the proper calculation.

Sicher Java 
public class Main {

```
   public static void main(String[] args) { 
  	 int pt_weight = 83;
  	 int mg_per_kg = 3;
  	 int daily_dose = 0;
  	 // Multiply the patient weight and Mg/Kg to calculate the correct daily dose
  	 daily_dose = pt_weight * mg_per_kg;
  	 return dosage; 
   } 
 }
What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.
Präventions-Checkliste

How to prevent CWE-1116

  • Implementation Verify that each comment accurately reflects what is intended to happen during execution of the code.
Erkennungssignale

How to detect CWE-1116

SAST High

Führe statische Analyse (SAST) auf der Codebasis aus und suche im Datenfluss nach dem unsicheren Muster.

DAST Moderate

Führe dynamische Application-Security-Tests gegen den Live-Endpoint aus.

Runtime Moderate

Beobachte Runtime-Logs auf ungewöhnliche Exception-Traces, fehlerhafte Eingaben oder Versuche, Autorisierung zu umgehen.

Code review Moderate

Code Review: Markiere jeden neuen Code, der Eingaben von dieser Oberfläche ohne validierte Framework-Helper verarbeitet.

Plexicus Auto-Fix

Plexicus erkennt CWE-1116 automatisch und öffnet in unter 60 Sekunden einen Fix-PR.

Codex Remedium scannt jeden Commit, identifiziert genau diese Schwachstelle und liefert einen reviewer-ready Pull Request mit dem Patch. Keine Tickets. Keine Hand-offs.

Demo anfordern Plexicus kostenlos testen
Häufig gestellte Fragen

Frequently asked questions

Was ist CWE-1116?

This weakness occurs when code comments do not correctly describe or explain the actual behavior of the associated code. Misleading comments create a disconnect between what the documentation says and what the program actually does.

Wie gravierend ist CWE-1116?

MITRE hat für diese Schwachstelle keine Exploit-Wahrscheinlichkeit veröffentlicht. Behandle sie als mittlere Auswirkung, bis dein Threat Model anderes belegt.

Welche Sprachen oder Plattformen sind von CWE-1116 betroffen?

MITRE hat für diese CWE keine betroffenen Plattformen spezifiziert — sie kann in den meisten Anwendungs-Stacks auftreten.

Wie kann ich CWE-1116 verhindern?

Verify that each comment accurately reflects what is intended to happen during execution of the code.

Wie erkennt und behebt Plexicus CWE-1116?

Die SAST-Engine von Plexicus erkennt die Datenfluss-Signatur von CWE-1116 bei jedem Commit. Bei einem Treffer öffnet unser Codex-Remedium-Agent einen Fix-PR mit korrigiertem Code, Tests und einer einzeiligen Zusammenfassung für den Reviewer.

Wo erfahre ich mehr über CWE-1116?

MITRE veröffentlicht die kanonische Definition unter https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/1116.html. Für ergänzende Hinweise kannst du auch die OWASP- und NIST-Dokumentation heranziehen.

Verwandte Schwachstellen

Weaknesses related to CWE-1116

CWE-1078 Parent

Inappropriate Source Code Style or Formatting

This weakness occurs when source code violates established style guidelines for formatting, indentation, whitespace, or commenting, making…

CWE-1085 Sibling

Invokable Control Element with Excessive Volume of Commented-out Code

This weakness occurs when a callable function, method, or procedure contains a large amount of inactive, commented-out code within its…

CWE-1099 Sibling

Inconsistent Naming Conventions for Identifiers

This weakness occurs when a codebase uses mixed naming styles for elements like variables, functions, data types, or files, creating an…

CWE-1106 Sibling

Insufficient Use of Symbolic Constants

This weakness occurs when developers embed raw numbers or text strings directly in code instead of using named symbolic constants, making…

CWE-1107 Sibling

Insufficient Isolation of Symbolic Constant Definitions

This weakness occurs when a codebase uses symbolic constants (like named values for numbers or strings) but scatters their definitions…

CWE-1109 Sibling

Use of Same Variable for Multiple Purposes

This weakness occurs when a single variable is reused to handle multiple, unrelated tasks or to store different pieces of data throughout…

CWE-1113 Sibling

Inappropriate Comment Style

This weakness occurs when source code comments are written in a style or format that doesn't match the project's established standards or…

CWE-1114 Sibling

Inappropriate Whitespace Style

This weakness occurs when source code uses inconsistent or non-standard whitespace formatting, such as irregular indentation, spacing, or…

CWE-1115 Sibling

Source Code Element without Standard Prologue

This weakness occurs when source code files or modules lack a consistent, standardized header or prologue that the development team has…

Ressourcen

Further reading

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