CWE-1325 Base Incompleto

Improperly Controlled Sequential Memory Allocation

This vulnerability occurs when a system allocates memory separately for each item in a collection but fails to enforce a global limit on the total memory used by all items combined.

Definición

What is CWE-1325?

This vulnerability occurs when a system allocates memory separately for each item in a collection but fails to enforce a global limit on the total memory used by all items combined.
While a developer might cap the memory for a single allocation—like setting a maximum size for one array—an attacker can bypass this by forcing the system to create many such objects in sequence. Each individual allocation stays within its allowed limit, but the cumulative memory consumption across all objects can exhaust available resources, causing a system slowdown or crash. This is a common oversight in systems that handle dynamic collections, such as connection pools, session managers, or request queues. To prevent it, developers must implement a two-tier check: one for per-object allocation and another for the aggregate memory footprint of the entire collection, ensuring the system can't be tricked into a denial of service through repeated small allocations.
Impacto en el mundo real

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-1325

  • CVE-2020-36049

    JavaScript-based packet decoder uses concatenation of many small strings, causing out-of-memory (OOM) condition

  • CVE-2019-20176

    Product allocates a new buffer on the stack for each file in a directory, allowing stack exhaustion

  • CVE-2013-1591

    Chain: an integer overflow (CWE-190) in the image size calculation causes an infinite loop (CWE-835) which sequentially allocates buffers without limits (CWE-1325) until the stack is full.

Cómo lo explotan los atacantes

Ruta del atacante paso a paso

  1. 1

    Identifica una ruta de código que maneje entrada no confiable sin validación.

  2. 2

    Crea un payload que ejercite el comportamiento inseguro — inyección, traversal, overflow o abuso de lógica.

  3. 3

    Envía el payload a través de una solicitud normal y observa la reacción de la aplicación.

  4. 4

    Itera hasta que la respuesta filtre datos, ejecute código del atacante o escale privilegios.

Ejemplo de código vulnerable

Vulnerable C

This example contains a small allocation of stack memory. When the program was first constructed, the number of times this memory was allocated was probably inconsequential and presented no problem. Over time, as the number of objects in the database grow, the number of allocations will grow - eventually consuming the available stack, i.e. "stack exhaustion." An attacker who is able to add elements to the database could cause stack exhaustion more rapidly than assumed by the developer.

Vulnerable C 
```
// Gets the size from the number of objects in a database, which over time can conceivably get very large* 
   int end_limit = get_nmbr_obj_from_db();
   int i;
   int *base = NULL;
   int *p =base;
   for (i = 0; i < end_limit; i++)
   {
  
  ```
  	 *p = alloca(sizeof(int *)); 
```
// Allocate memory on the stack* 
  	 p = *p; 
  	 *// // Point to the next location to be saved* 
  	 }
Ejemplo de código seguro

Secure pseudo

Seguro 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.
Lista de prevención

How to prevent CWE-1325

  • Implementation Ensure multiple allocations of the same kind of object are properly tracked - possibly across multiple sessions, requests, or messages. Define an appropriate strategy for handling requests that exceed the limit, and consider supporting a configuration option so that the administrator can extend the amount of memory to be used if necessary.
  • Operation Run the program using system-provided resource limits for memory. This might still cause the program to crash or exit, but the impact to the rest of the system will be minimized.
Señales de detección

How to detect CWE-1325

SAST High

Ejecuta análisis estático (SAST) sobre el código buscando el patrón inseguro en el flujo de datos.

DAST Moderate

Ejecuta pruebas dinámicas de seguridad de aplicaciones (DAST) contra el endpoint en vivo.

Runtime Moderate

Vigila los logs en tiempo de ejecución para detectar trazas de excepción inusuales, entradas malformadas o intentos de bypass de autorización.

Code review Moderate

Revisión de código: marca cualquier código nuevo que maneje entrada desde esta superficie sin usar los helpers validados del framework.

Auto-corrección de Plexicus

Plexicus detecta automáticamente CWE-1325 y abre un PR de corrección en menos de 60 segundos.

Codex Remedium escanea cada commit, identifica esta debilidad concreta y entrega un pull request listo para revisión con el parche. Sin tickets. Sin traspasos.

Solicitar demo Probar Plexicus gratis
Preguntas frecuentes

Frequently asked questions

¿Qué es CWE-1325?

This vulnerability occurs when a system allocates memory separately for each item in a collection but fails to enforce a global limit on the total memory used by all items combined.

¿Qué gravedad tiene CWE-1325?

MITRE no ha publicado una calificación de probabilidad de explotación para esta debilidad. Trátala como de impacto medio hasta que tu modelo de amenazas demuestre lo contrario.

¿Qué lenguajes o plataformas se ven afectados por CWE-1325?

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

¿Cómo puedo prevenir CWE-1325?

Ensure multiple allocations of the same kind of object are properly tracked - possibly across multiple sessions, requests, or messages. Define an appropriate strategy for handling requests that exceed the limit, and consider supporting a configuration option so that the administrator can extend the amount of memory to be used if necessary. Run the program using system-provided resource limits for memory. This might still cause the program to crash or exit, but the impact to the rest of the…

¿Cómo detecta y corrige Plexicus CWE-1325?

El motor SAST de Plexicus detecta la firma de flujo de datos para CWE-1325 en cada commit. Cuando hay coincidencia, nuestro agente Codex Remedium abre un PR de corrección con el código corregido, las pruebas y un resumen de una línea para el revisor.

¿Dónde puedo aprender más sobre CWE-1325?

MITRE publica la definición canónica en https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/1325.html. También puedes consultar la documentación de OWASP y NIST para guías relacionadas.

Debilidades relacionadas

Weaknesses related to CWE-1325

CWE-770 Padre

Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling

This vulnerability occurs when a system allows users or processes to request resources without any built-in caps or rate limits. Think of…

CWE-774 Hermano

Allocation of File Descriptors or Handles Without Limits or Throttling

This vulnerability occurs when an application creates file descriptors or handles for a user or process without enforcing any limits on…

CWE-789 Hermano

Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value

This vulnerability occurs when a program allocates memory based on a user-supplied or untrusted size value without proper validation. If…

CWE-476 Puede preceder

NULL Pointer Dereference

This vulnerability occurs when a program attempts to access or manipulate memory using a pointer that is set to NULL, causing a crash or…

Recursos

Further reading

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