CWE-382 Variante Borrador

J2EE Bad Practices: Use of System.exit()

This vulnerability occurs when a J2EE application directly calls System.exit(), which forcibly terminates the entire application server process, not just the application itself.

Definición

What is CWE-382?

This vulnerability occurs when a J2EE application directly calls System.exit(), which forcibly terminates the entire application server process, not just the application itself.
Calling System.exit() from within a deployed J2EE application is a dangerous anti-pattern. It grants a single application the power to shut down the shared container, crashing every other application and service running on the same server. This creates a severe reliability issue and an immediate vector for Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks, as even an unprivileged user might trigger a code path that calls this method. Instead of using System.exit(), applications should manage their lifecycle gracefully through the container's administrative interfaces. Error conditions should be handled using exception mechanisms that log the issue and return an appropriate error response to the user, allowing the container and other co-hosted applications to continue running normally. This approach maintains system stability and aligns with the managed, multi-application environment that J2EE containers are designed to provide.
Impacto en el mundo real

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-382

Todavía no hay CVEs públicos enlazados a esta CWE en el catálogo de MITRE.

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 Java

Included in the doPost() method defined below is a call to System.exit() in the event of a specific exception.

Vulnerable Java 
Public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
  	try {
  		...
  	} catch (ApplicationSpecificException ase) {
  		logger.error("Caught: " + ase.toString());
  		System.exit(1);
  	}
  }
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-382

  • Architecture and Design The shutdown function should be a privileged function available only to a properly authorized administrative user
  • Implementation Web applications should not call methods that cause the virtual machine to exit, such as System.exit()
  • Implementation Web applications should also not throw any Throwables to the application server as this may adversely affect the container.
  • Implementation Non-web applications may have a main() method that contains a System.exit(), but generally should not call System.exit() from other locations in the code
Señales de detección

How to detect CWE-382

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.)

Auto-corrección de Plexicus

Plexicus detecta automáticamente CWE-382 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.

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Preguntas frecuentes

Frequently asked questions

¿Qué es CWE-382?

This vulnerability occurs when a J2EE application directly calls System.exit(), which forcibly terminates the entire application server process, not just the application itself.

¿Qué gravedad tiene CWE-382?

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-382?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: Java.

¿Cómo puedo prevenir CWE-382?

The shutdown function should be a privileged function available only to a properly authorized administrative user Web applications should not call methods that cause the virtual machine to exit, such as System.exit()

¿Cómo detecta y corrige Plexicus CWE-382?

El motor SAST de Plexicus detecta la firma de flujo de datos para CWE-382 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-382?

MITRE publica la definición canónica en https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/382.html. También puedes consultar la documentación de OWASP y NIST para guías relacionadas.

Debilidades relacionadas

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Recursos

Further reading

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