CWE-562 Base Draft

Return of Stack Variable Address

This vulnerability occurs when a function returns a pointer to its own local variable. Since that variable's memory is on the stack, the pointer becomes invalid as soon as the function finishes,…

Definition

What is CWE-562?

This vulnerability occurs when a function returns a pointer to its own local variable. Since that variable's memory is on the stack, the pointer becomes invalid as soon as the function finishes, leading to crashes or unpredictable behavior.
When a function declares a local variable, it's stored in a temporary memory region called the stack. This stack space is only reserved for the lifetime of that function call. Once the function returns, its stack frame is cleared and that memory is marked as available for the next function call. If you return a pointer to this now-freed location, you're handing the calling code a 'dangling pointer' to a memory address that is no longer guaranteed to hold your intended data. The program may continue to run, but the next function that executes will likely reuse that same stack address for its own local variables, overwriting whatever value was there. Any subsequent attempt to read or write through the old pointer will access this new, unrelated data, causing corruption, logic errors, or most commonly, a sudden segmentation fault when the program tries to dereference the invalid pointer.
Auswirkungen in der Praxis

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-562

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

Wie Angreifer es ausnutzen

Angreiferpfad Schritt für Schritt

  1. 1

    Identifiziere einen Codepfad, der nicht vertrauenswürdige Eingaben ohne Validierung verarbeitet.

  2. 2

    Erzeuge eine Payload, die das unsichere Verhalten auslöst — Injection, Traversal, Overflow oder Logik-Missbrauch.

  3. 3

    Liefere die Payload über einen normalen Request aus und beobachte die Reaktion der Anwendung.

  4. 4

    Iteriere, bis die Antwort Daten preisgibt, Angreifer-Code ausführt oder Berechtigungen eskaliert.

Verwundbares Codebeispiel

Vulnerable C

The following function returns a stack address.

Verwundbar C 
char* getName() {
  	char name[STR_MAX];
  	fillInName(name);
  	return name;
  }
Sicheres Codebeispiel

Secure pseudo

Sicher pseudo 
// Validate, sanitize, or use a safe API before reaching the sink.
function handleRequest(input) {
  const safe = validateAndEscape(input);
  return executeWithGuards(safe);
}
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-562

  • Testing Use static analysis tools to spot return of the address of a stack variable.
Erkennungssignale

How to detect CWE-562

Fuzzing High

Fuzz testing (fuzzing) is a powerful technique for generating large numbers of diverse inputs - either randomly or algorithmically - and dynamically invoking the code with those inputs. Even with random inputs, it is often capable of generating unexpected results such as crashes, memory corruption, or resource consumption. Fuzzing effectively produces repeatable test cases that clearly indicate bugs, which helps developers to diagnose the issues.

Automated Static Analysis High

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.)

Plexicus Auto-Fix

Plexicus erkennt CWE-562 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-562?

This vulnerability occurs when a function returns a pointer to its own local variable. Since that variable's memory is on the stack, the pointer becomes invalid as soon as the function finishes, leading to crashes or unpredictable behavior.

Wie gravierend ist CWE-562?

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-562 betroffen?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: C, C++.

Wie kann ich CWE-562 verhindern?

Use static analysis tools to spot return of the address of a stack variable.

Wie erkennt und behebt Plexicus CWE-562?

Die SAST-Engine von Plexicus erkennt die Datenfluss-Signatur von CWE-562 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-562?

MITRE veröffentlicht die kanonische Definition unter https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/562.html. Für ergänzende Hinweise kannst du auch die OWASP- und NIST-Dokumentation heranziehen.

Verwandte Schwachstellen

Weaknesses related to CWE-562

CWE-758 Parent

Reliance on Undefined, Unspecified, or Implementation-Defined Behavior

This weakness occurs when software depends on specific behaviors of an API, data structure, or system component that are not formally…

CWE-1038 Sibling

Insecure Automated Optimizations

This vulnerability occurs when software uses automated tools to optimize code for performance or efficiency, but those optimizations…

CWE-1102 Sibling

Reliance on Machine-Dependent Data Representation

This weakness occurs when software directly depends on how a specific machine, processor, or operating system represents data in memory.…

CWE-1103 Sibling

Use of Platform-Dependent Third Party Components

This weakness occurs when software depends on third-party libraries or components that behave differently or lack support across various…

CWE-1105 Sibling

Insufficient Encapsulation of Machine-Dependent Functionality

This weakness occurs when an application relies on hardware-specific or platform-dependent features but fails to isolate that code from…

CWE-474 Sibling

Use of Function with Inconsistent Implementations

This vulnerability occurs when code relies on a function whose behavior changes across different operating systems or versions, leading to…

CWE-587 Sibling

Assignment of a Fixed Address to a Pointer

This vulnerability occurs when code explicitly assigns a hardcoded memory address to a pointer, instead of using a dynamic or null value.

CWE-588 Sibling

Attempt to Access Child of a Non-structure Pointer

This vulnerability occurs when code incorrectly treats a pointer to a basic data type (like an integer) as if it points to a structured…

CWE-672 Kann vorausgehen

Operation on a Resource after Expiration or Release

This vulnerability occurs when a program continues to use a resource—like memory, a file handle, or a network connection—after it has been…

Ressourcen

Further reading

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