CWE-482 Variante Brouillon Low likelihood

Comparing instead of Assigning

This vulnerability occurs when a developer accidentally uses a comparison operator (like '==') where an assignment operator (like '=') was intended, creating a logic error instead of setting a value.

Définition

What is CWE-482?

This vulnerability occurs when a developer accidentally uses a comparison operator (like '==') where an assignment operator (like '=') was intended, creating a logic error instead of setting a value.
This common coding mistake happens because assignment and comparison operators look very similar in many programming languages. For example, using `if (x = 5)` instead of `if (x == 5)` assigns the value 5 to `x` and then evaluates the assignment's result as the condition, which is often always true, breaking the intended program logic. To prevent this, developers should adopt defensive coding habits like placing constants on the left side in comparisons (e.g., `if (5 == x)`), which would cause a compilation error if written incorrectly as `if (5 = x)`. Modern compilers and linters often flag this pattern with warnings like "possible unintended assignment," which should always be investigated and corrected.
Impact réel

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-482

Aucune référence CVE publique n'est liée à ce CWE dans le catalogue MITRE pour le moment.

Comment les attaquants l'exploitent

Parcours de l'attaquant étape par étape

  1. 1

    The following example demonstrates the weakness.

  2. 2

    The following C/C++ example shows a simple implementation of a stack that includes methods for adding and removing integer values from the stack. The example uses pointers to add and remove integer values to the stack array variable.

  3. 3

    The push method includes an expression to assign the integer value to the location in the stack pointed to by the pointer variable.

  4. 4

    However, this expression uses the comparison operator "==" rather than the assignment operator "=". The result of using the comparison operator instead of the assignment operator causes erroneous values to be entered into the stack and can cause unexpected results.

Exemple de code vulnérable

Vulnerable Java

The following example demonstrates the weakness.

Vulnérable Java 
void called(int foo) {
  	foo==1;
  	if (foo==1) System.out.println("foo\n");
  }
  int main() {
  		called(2);
  		return 0;
  }
Exemple de code sécurisé

Secure pseudo

Sécurisé 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.
Liste de contrôle de prévention

How to prevent CWE-482

  • Testing Many IDEs and static analysis products will detect this problem.
Signaux de détection

How to detect CWE-482

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.)

Correction automatique Plexicus

Plexicus détecte automatiquement CWE-482 et ouvre une PR de correction en moins de 60 secondes.

Codex Remedium analyse chaque commit, identifie cette faiblesse précise et livre une pull request prête à être relue avec le correctif. Pas de tickets. Pas de transferts.

Obtenir une démo Essayer Plexicus gratuitement
Questions fréquentes

Frequently asked questions

Qu'est-ce que CWE-482 ?

This vulnerability occurs when a developer accidentally uses a comparison operator (like '==') where an assignment operator (like '=') was intended, creating a logic error instead of setting a value.

Quelle est la gravité de CWE-482 ?

MITRE évalue la probabilité d'exploitation comme Faible — l'exploitation est rare, mais la faiblesse doit tout de même être corrigée lorsqu'elle est découverte.

Quels langages ou plateformes sont affectés par CWE-482 ?

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

Comment puis-je prévenir CWE-482 ?

Many IDEs and static analysis products will detect this problem.

Comment Plexicus détecte et corrige CWE-482 ?

Le moteur SAST de Plexicus reconnaît la signature de flux de données de CWE-482 à chaque commit. Lorsqu'une correspondance est trouvée, notre agent Codex Remedium ouvre une PR de correction avec le code corrigé, les tests et un résumé d'une ligne pour le relecteur.

Où puis-je en savoir plus sur CWE-482 ?

MITRE publie la définition canonique à https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/482.html. Vous pouvez également consulter la documentation OWASP et NIST pour des conseils adjacents.

Faiblesses associées

Weaknesses related to CWE-482

CWE-480 Parent

Use of Incorrect Operator

This vulnerability occurs when a developer mistakenly uses the wrong operator in their code, leading to unintended and potentially…

CWE-481 Frère

Assigning instead of Comparing

This flaw occurs when a developer accidentally uses the assignment operator (=) instead of the comparison operator (== or ===). The code…

CWE-597 Frère

Use of Wrong Operator in String Comparison

This vulnerability occurs when a developer incorrectly compares string values, typically by using reference equality operators (like == or…

Ressources

Further reading

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