{"@ID": "617", "@Name": "Reachable Assertion", "@Abstraction": "Base", "@Structure": "Simple", "@Status": "Draft", "Description": "The product contains an assert() or similar statement that can be triggered by an attacker, which leads to an application exit or other behavior that is more severe than necessary.", "Extended_Description": {"xhtml:p": ["While assertion is good for catching logic errors and reducing the chances of reaching more serious vulnerability conditions, it can still lead to a denial of service.", "For example, if a server handles multiple simultaneous connections, and an assert() occurs in one single connection that causes all other connections to be dropped, this is a reachable assertion that leads to a denial of service."]}, "Related_Weaknesses": {"Related_Weakness": [{"@Nature": "ChildOf", "@CWE_ID": "705", "@View_ID": "1000", "@Ordinal": "Primary"}, {"@Nature": "ChildOf", "@CWE_ID": "670", "@View_ID": "1003", "@Ordinal": "Primary"}]}, "Weakness_Ordinalities": {"Weakness_Ordinality": {"Ordinality": "Resultant"}}, "Applicable_Platforms": {"Language": [{"@Class": "Not Language-Specific", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, {"@Name": "C", "@Prevalence": "Sometimes"}, {"@Name": "Java", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, {"@Name": "Rust", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}], "Technology": {"@Class": "Not Technology-Specific", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}}, "Alternate_Terms": {"Alternate_Term": {"Term": "assertion failure"}}, "Modes_Of_Introduction": {"Introduction": {"Phase": "Implementation"}}, "Common_Consequences": {"Consequence": {"Scope": "Availability", "Impact": "DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart", "Note": "An attacker that can trigger an assert statement can still lead to a denial of service if the relevant code can be triggered by an attacker, and if the scope of the assert() extends beyond the attacker's own session."}}, "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": "Implementation", "Description": "Make sensitive open/close operation non reachable by directly user-controlled data (e.g. open/close resources)"}, {"Phase": "Implementation", "Strategy": "Input Validation", "Description": "Perform input validation on user data."}]}, "Demonstrative_Examples": {"Demonstrative_Example": {"@Demonstrative_Example_ID": "DX-183", "Intro_Text": "In the excerpt below, an AssertionError (an unchecked exception) is thrown if the user hasn't entered an email address in an HTML form.", "Example_Code": {"@Nature": "Bad", "@Language": "Java", "xhtml:div": {"xhtml:br": null, "#text": "String email = request.getParameter(\"email_address\");assert email != null;"}}}}, "Observed_Examples": {"Observed_Example": [{"Reference": "CVE-2024-8768", "Description": "API server for LLM library can crash when provided an empty prompt, which triggers a reachable  assertion", "Link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-8768"}, {"Reference": "CVE-2023-49286", "Description": "Chain: function in web caching proxy does not correctly check a return value (CWE-253) leading to a reachable assertion (CWE-617)", "Link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-49286"}, {"Reference": "CVE-2006-6767", "Description": "FTP server allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon abort) via crafted commands which trigger an assertion failure.", "Link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2006-6767"}, {"Reference": "CVE-2006-6811", "Description": "Chat client allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a long message string when connecting to a server, which causes an assertion failure.", "Link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2006-6811"}, {"Reference": "CVE-2006-5779", "Description": "Product allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via LDAP BIND requests with long authcid names, which triggers an assertion failure.", "Link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2006-5779"}, {"Reference": "CVE-2006-4095", "Description": "Product allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via certain queries, which cause an assertion failure.", "Link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2006-4095"}, {"Reference": "CVE-2006-4574", "Description": "Chain: security monitoring product has an off-by-one error that leads to unexpected length values, triggering an assertion.", "Link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2006-4574"}, {"Reference": "CVE-2004-0270", "Description": "Anti-virus product has assert error when line length is non-numeric.", "Link": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2004-0270"}]}, "Taxonomy_Mappings": {"Taxonomy_Mapping": [{"@Taxonomy_Name": "The CERT Oracle Secure Coding Standard for Java (2011)", "Entry_ID": "MET01-J", "Entry_Name": "Never use assertions to validate method arguments"}, {"@Taxonomy_Name": "Software Fault Patterns", "Entry_ID": "SFP3", "Entry_Name": "Use of an improper API"}]}, "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"}}}, "Content_History": {"Submission": {"Submission_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Submission_Organization": "MITRE", "Submission_Date": "2007-05-07", "Submission_Version": "Draft 6", "Submission_ReleaseDate": "2007-05-07"}, "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 Potential_Mitigations, 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 Description, Relationships, Observed_Example, Other_Notes, Weakness_Ordinalities"}, {"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"}, {"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 Common_Consequences, Observed_Examples, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2012-10-30", "Modification_Version": "2.3", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2012-10-30", "Modification_Comment": "updated Potential_Mitigations"}, {"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 Common_Consequences, Description, Other_Notes"}, {"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": "2017-01-19", "Modification_Version": "2.10", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2017-01-19", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships"}, {"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": "2019-06-20", "Modification_Version": "3.3", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2019-06-20", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships, Type"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2019-09-19", "Modification_Version": "3.4", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2019-09-19", "Modification_Comment": "updated Alternate_Terms"}, {"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": "2023-10-26", "Modification_Version": "4.13", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2023-10-26", "Modification_Comment": "updated Demonstrative_Examples"}, {"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 Observed_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, Observed_Examples, Relationships"}]}}