{"@ID": "382", "@Name": "J2EE Bad Practices: Use of System.exit()", "@Abstraction": "Variant", "@Structure": "Simple", "@Status": "Draft", "Description": "A J2EE application uses System.exit().", "Dimensions": {"Dimension": [{"@Type": "Framework", "#text": "J2EE"}, {"@Type": "Other", "#text": "Bad Practices"}, {"@Type": "Behavior-Type", "#text": "Use"}, {"@Type": "Code-Type", "#text": "System.exit()"}]}, "Related_Weaknesses": {"Related_Weakness": {"@Nature": "ChildOf", "@CWE_ID": "705", "@View_ID": "1000", "@Ordinal": "Primary"}}, "Weakness_Ordinalities": {"Weakness_Ordinality": {"Ordinality": "Primary"}}, "Applicable_Platforms": {"Language": {"@Name": "Java", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, "Technology": [{"@Class": "Web Based", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, {"@Name": "Web Server", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}]}, "Modes_Of_Introduction": {"Introduction": {"Phase": "Implementation", "Note": "A call to System.exit() is probably part of leftover debug code or code imported from a non-J2EE application."}}, "Common_Consequences": {"Consequence": {"Scope": "Availability", "Impact": "DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart", "Note": "Access to a function that can shut down the application is an avenue for Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, since use of System.exit() also shuts down the application's container."}}, "Detection_Methods": {"Detection_Method": {"@Detection_Method_ID": "DM-14", "Method": "Automated Static Analysis", "Description": "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.)", "Effectiveness": "High"}}, "Potential_Mitigations": {"Mitigation": [{"Phase": "Architecture and Design", "Strategy": "Separation of Privilege", "Description": "The shutdown function should be a privileged function available only to a properly authorized administrative user."}, {"Phase": "Implementation", "Description": "Web applications should not call methods that cause the virtual machine to exit, such as System.exit()."}, {"Phase": "Implementation", "Description": "Web applications should not throw any Throwables to the application server, as this may adversely affect the container."}, {"Phase": "Implementation", "Description": "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."}]}, "Demonstrative_Examples": {"Demonstrative_Example": {"@Demonstrative_Example_ID": "DX-199", "Intro_Text": "Included in the doPost() method defined below is a call to System.exit() in the event of a specific exception.", "Example_Code": {"@Nature": "Bad", "@Language": "Java", "xhtml:div": {"xhtml:div": {"@style": "margin-left:1em;", "xhtml:div": [{"@style": "margin-left:1em;", "#text": "..."}, {"@style": "margin-left:1em;", "xhtml:br": null, "#text": "logger.error(\"Caught: \" + ase.toString());System.exit(1);"}], "#text": "try {} catch (ApplicationSpecificException ase) {}"}, "#text": "Public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {}"}, "#text_blocks": ["Public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {", "try {", "...", "} catch (ApplicationSpecificException ase) {", "logger.error(\"Caught: \" + ase.toString());", "System.exit(1);", "}", "}"]}}}, "Taxonomy_Mappings": {"Taxonomy_Mapping": [{"@Taxonomy_Name": "7 Pernicious Kingdoms", "Entry_Name": "J2EE Bad Practices: System.exit()"}, {"@Taxonomy_Name": "OWASP Top Ten 2004", "Entry_ID": "A9", "Entry_Name": "Denial of Service", "Mapping_Fit": "CWE More Specific"}, {"@Taxonomy_Name": "The CERT Oracle Secure Coding Standard for Java (2011)", "Entry_ID": "ERR09-J", "Entry_Name": "Do not allow untrusted code to terminate the JVM"}, {"@Taxonomy_Name": "Software Fault Patterns", "Entry_ID": "SFP3", "Entry_Name": "Use of an improper API"}]}, "References": {"Reference": {"@External_Reference_ID": "REF-6"}}, "Mapping_Notes": {"Usage": "Allowed", "Rationale": "This CWE entry is at the Variant level of abstraction, which is a preferred level of abstraction for mapping to the root causes of vulnerabilities.", "Comments": "Carefully read both the name and description to ensure that this mapping is an appropriate fit. Do not try to 'force' a mapping to a lower-level Base/Variant simply to comply with this preferred level of abstraction.", "Reasons": {"Reason": {"@Type": "Acceptable-Use"}}}, "Content_History": {"Submission": {"Submission_Name": "7 Pernicious Kingdoms", "Submission_Date": "2006-07-19", "Submission_Version": "Draft 3", "Submission_ReleaseDate": "2006-07-19"}, "Modification": [{"Modification_Name": "Sean Eidemiller", "Modification_Organization": "Cigital", "Modification_Date": "2008-07-01", "Modification_Version": "1.0", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2008-09-09", "Modification_Comment": "added/updated demonstrative examples"}, {"Modification_Name": "Eric Dalci", "Modification_Organization": "Cigital", "Modification_Date": "2008-07-01", "Modification_Version": "1.0", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2008-09-09", "Modification_Comment": "updated Time_of_Introduction"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2008-09-08", "Modification_Version": "1.0", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2008-09-09", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships, Other_Notes, Taxonomy_Mappings"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2011-06-01", "Modification_Version": "1.13", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2011-06-01", "Modification_Comment": "updated Common_Consequences, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2012-05-11", "Modification_Version": "2.2", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2012-05-15", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2014-06-23", "Modification_Version": "2.7", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2014-06-23", "Modification_Comment": "updated Description, Modes_of_Introduction, Other_Notes, Potential_Mitigations"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2014-07-30", "Modification_Version": "2.8", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2014-07-31", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2017-11-08", "Modification_Version": "3.0", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2017-11-08", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2019-01-03", "Modification_Version": "3.2", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2019-01-03", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2020-02-24", "Modification_Version": "4.0", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2020-02-24", "Modification_Comment": "updated References, Relationships"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2023-04-27", "Modification_Version": "4.11", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2023-04-27", "Modification_Comment": "updated Detection_Factors, Relationships"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2023-06-29", "Modification_Version": "4.12", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2023-06-29", "Modification_Comment": "updated Mapping_Notes"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2024-02-29", "Modification_Version": "4.14", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2024-02-29", "Modification_Comment": "updated Demonstrative_Examples"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2025-12-11", "Modification_Version": "4.19", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2025-12-11", "Modification_Comment": "updated Applicable_Platforms, Relationships, Weakness_Ordinalities"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2026-10-28", "Modification_Version": "5.0", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2026-10-28", "Modification_Comment": "updated Common_Consequences, Description, Dimensions, Potential_Mitigations, References"}], "Previous_Entry_Name": {"@Date": "2008-04-11", "#text": "J2EE Bad Practices: System.exit()"}}, "entry_type": "Weakness"}