CWE-397 Base Rascunho

Declaration of Throws for Generic Exception

This vulnerability occurs when a method is declared to throw an overly broad exception type, such as a generic 'Exception' or 'Throwable'. This practice masks the specific error conditions that can…

Definição

What is CWE-397?

This vulnerability occurs when a method is declared to throw an overly broad exception type, such as a generic 'Exception' or 'Throwable'. This practice masks the specific error conditions that can occur, making it difficult for calling code to handle failures appropriately.
Declaring a method to throw a generic exception like `Exception` forces callers into generic error handling. Instead of being able to anticipate and write specific recovery code for different failure scenarios—like `FileNotFoundException` versus `AccessDeniedException`—developers are left with a catch-all block. This obscures the root cause, often leading to inappropriate user responses and making debugging significantly harder. Catching these overly broad declarations manually is tedious, especially in large codebases. While SAST tools can flag the pattern, Plexicus uses AI to not only detect the issue but also suggest the precise, narrower exception types to declare, automating the remediation and saving valuable development time.
Impacto no mundo real

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-397

Ainda não há referências CVE públicas associadas a este CWE no catálogo da MITRE.

Como os atacantes a exploram

Trajeto do atacante passo a passo

  1. 1

    The following method throws three types of exceptions.

  2. 2

    While it might seem tidier to write

  3. 3

    doing so hampers the caller's ability to understand and handle the exceptions that occur. Further, if a later revision of doExchange() introduces a new type of exception that should be treated differently than previous exceptions, there is no easy way to enforce this requirement.

  4. 4

    Early versions of C++ (C++98, C++03, C++11) included a feature known as Dynamic Exception Specification. This allowed functions to declare what type of exceptions it may throw. It is possible to declare a general class of exception to cover any derived exceptions that may be thrown.

  5. 5

    In the example above, the code declares that myfunction() can throw an exception of type "std::exception" thus hiding details about the possible derived exceptions that could potentially be thrown.

Exemplo de código vulnerável

Vulnerable Java

While it might seem tidier to write

Vulnerável Java 
public void doExchange() throws Exception {
  	...
  }
Exemplo de código seguro

Secure Java

The following method throws three types of exceptions.

Seguro Java 
public void doExchange() throws IOException, InvocationTargetException, SQLException {
  	...
  }
What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.
Lista de verificação de prevenção

How to prevent CWE-397

  • Architecture Use safe-by-default frameworks and APIs that prevent the unsafe pattern from being expressible.
  • Implementation Validate input at trust boundaries; use allowlists, not denylists.
  • Implementation Apply the principle of least privilege to credentials, file paths, and runtime permissions.
  • Testing Cover this weakness in CI: SAST rules + targeted unit tests for the data flow.
  • Operation Monitor logs for the runtime signals listed in the next section.
Sinais de deteção

How to detect CWE-397

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.)

Correção automática do Plexicus

O Plexicus deteta automaticamente o CWE-397 e abre um PR de correção em menos de 60 segundos.

O Codex Remedium analisa cada commit, identifica esta fraqueza exata e entrega um pull request pronto para revisão com o patch. Sem tickets. Sem transferências.

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Perguntas frequentes

Frequently asked questions

O que é o CWE-397?

This vulnerability occurs when a method is declared to throw an overly broad exception type, such as a generic 'Exception' or 'Throwable'. This practice masks the specific error conditions that can occur, making it difficult for calling code to handle failures appropriately.

Qual a gravidade do CWE-397?

A MITRE não publicou uma classificação de probabilidade de exploração para esta fraqueza. Trate-a como impacto médio até o seu modelo de ameaças provar o contrário.

Que linguagens ou plataformas são afetadas pelo CWE-397?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: C++, C#, Java, Python.

Como posso prevenir o CWE-397?

Use safe-by-default frameworks, validate untrusted input at trust boundaries, and apply the principle of least privilege. Cover the data-flow signature in CI with SAST.

Como é que o Plexicus deteta e corrige o CWE-397?

O motor SAST do Plexicus correlaciona a assinatura de fluxo de dados do CWE-397 em cada commit. Quando é encontrada uma correspondência, o nosso agente Codex Remedium abre um PR de correção com o código corrigido, testes e um resumo de uma linha para o revisor.

Onde posso saber mais sobre o CWE-397?

A MITRE publica a definição canónica em https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/397.html. Pode também consultar a documentação da OWASP e do NIST para orientações adjacentes.

Fraquezas relacionadas

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Recursos

Further reading

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