{"@ID": "397", "@Name": "Declaration of Throws for Generic Exception", "@Abstraction": "Base", "@Structure": "Simple", "@Status": "Draft", "Description": "The product throws or raises an overly broad exceptions that can hide important details and produce inappropriate responses to certain conditions.", "Extended_Description": "Declaring a method to throw Exception or Throwable promotes generic error handling procedures that make it difficult for callers to perform proper error handling and error recovery. For example, Java's exception mechanism makes it easy for callers to anticipate what can go wrong and write code to handle each specific exceptional circumstance. Declaring that a method throws a generic form of exception defeats this system.", "Related_Weaknesses": {"Related_Weakness": [{"@Nature": "ChildOf", "@CWE_ID": "705", "@View_ID": "1000", "@Ordinal": "Primary"}, {"@Nature": "ChildOf", "@CWE_ID": "221", "@View_ID": "1000"}, {"@Nature": "ChildOf", "@CWE_ID": "703", "@View_ID": "1000"}]}, "Weakness_Ordinalities": {"Weakness_Ordinality": {"Ordinality": "Primary"}}, "Applicable_Platforms": {"Language": [{"@Name": "C++", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, {"@Name": "C#", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, {"@Name": "Java", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, {"@Name": "Python", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}]}, "Modes_Of_Introduction": {"Introduction": {"Phase": "Implementation"}}, "Common_Consequences": {"Consequence": {"Scope": ["Non-Repudiation", "Other"], "Impact": ["Hide Activities", "Alter Execution Logic"], "Note": "Throwing a generic exception can hide details about unexpected adversary activities by making it difficult to properly troubleshoot error conditions during execution."}}, "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"}}, "Demonstrative_Examples": {"Demonstrative_Example": [{"@Demonstrative_Example_ID": "DX-198", "Intro_Text": "The following method throws three types of exceptions.", "Example_Code": [{"@Nature": "Good", "@Language": "Java", "xhtml:div": {"xhtml:div": {"@style": "margin-left:1em;", "#text": "..."}, "#text": "public void doExchange() throws IOException, InvocationTargetException, SQLException {}"}}, {"@Nature": "Bad", "@Language": "Java", "xhtml:div": {"xhtml:div": {"@style": "margin-left:1em;", "#text": "..."}, "#text": "public void doExchange() throws Exception {}"}}], "Body_Text": ["While it might seem tidier to write", "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."]}, {"Intro_Text": "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.", "Example_Code": {"@Nature": "Bad", "@Language": "C++", "xhtml:div": {"xhtml:div": {"@style": "margin-left:1em;", "xhtml:br": null, "#text": "if (0) throw out_of_range();throw length_error();"}, "#text": "int myfunction() throw(std::exception) {}"}}, "Body_Text": "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."}]}, "Taxonomy_Mappings": {"Taxonomy_Mapping": [{"@Taxonomy_Name": "7 Pernicious Kingdoms", "Entry_Name": "Overly-Broad Throws Declaration"}, {"@Taxonomy_Name": "The CERT Oracle Secure Coding Standard for Java (2011)", "Entry_ID": "ERR07-J", "Entry_Name": "Do not throw RuntimeException, Exception, or Throwable"}, {"@Taxonomy_Name": "Software Fault Patterns", "Entry_ID": "SFP5", "Entry_Name": "Ambiguous Exception Type"}, {"@Taxonomy_Name": "OMG ASCSM", "Entry_ID": "ASCSM-CWE-397"}, {"@Taxonomy_Name": "OMG ASCRM", "Entry_ID": "ASCRM-CWE-397"}]}, "References": {"Reference": [{"@External_Reference_ID": "REF-6"}, {"@External_Reference_ID": "REF-961", "@Section": "ASCRM-CWE-397"}, {"@External_Reference_ID": "REF-962", "@Section": "ASCSM-CWE-397"}]}, "Mapping_Notes": {"Usage": "Allowed", "Rationale": "This CWE entry is at the Base 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"}}}, "Notes": {"Note": {"@Type": "Applicable Platform", "#text": "For C++, this weakness only applies to C++98, C++03, and C++11. It relies on a feature known as Dynamic Exception Specification, which was part of early versions of C++ but was deprecated in C++11. It has been removed for C++17 and later."}}, "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": "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 Applicable_Platforms, Relationships, Other_Notes, Taxonomy_Mappings"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2008-09-24", "Modification_Version": "1.1", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2008-11-25", "Modification_Comment": "Removed C from Applicable_Platforms"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2008-10-14", "Modification_Version": "1.0.1", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2008-10-14", "Modification_Comment": "updated Applicable_Platforms"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2009-03-10", "Modification_Version": "1.3", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2009-03-10", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2009-05-27", "Modification_Version": "1.4", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2009-05-27", "Modification_Comment": "updated Demonstrative_Examples"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2009-10-29", "Modification_Version": "1.6", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2009-10-29", "Modification_Comment": "updated Description, Other_Notes"}, {"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": "2014-07-30", "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": "2019-01-03", "Modification_Version": "3.2", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2019-01-03", "Modification_Comment": "updated Applicable_Platforms, Demonstrative_Examples, References, 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"}, {"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, Time_of_Introduction"}, {"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": "2025-04-03", "Modification_Version": "4.17", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2025-04-03", "Modification_Comment": "updated Applicable_Platforms, Common_Consequences, Demonstrative_Examples, Description"}, {"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 Relationships, Weakness_Ordinalities"}], "Previous_Entry_Name": {"@Date": "2008-04-11", "#text": "Overly-Broad Throws Declaration"}}}