CWE-397
Weakness AllowedDeclaration of Throws for Generic Exception
Abstraction: Base · Status: Draft
The product throws or raises an overly broad exception that can hide important details and produce inappropriate responses to certain conditions.
Mapping guidance
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.
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.
Relationships and members
Modes of introduction
Detection methods
Automated Static Analysis
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
Notes
Applicable Platform
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
updated Time_of_Introduction
updated Applicable_Platforms, Relationships, Other_Notes, Taxonomy_Mappings
Removed C from Applicable_Platforms
updated Applicable_Platforms
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updated Demonstrative_Examples
updated Description, Other_Notes
updated Common_Consequences, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
updated Relationships
updated Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
updated Applicable_Platforms, Demonstrative_Examples, References, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
updated References
updated Detection_Factors, Relationships, Time_of_Introduction
updated Mapping_Notes
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updated Applicable_Platforms, Common_Consequences, Demonstrative_Examples, Description
updated Relationships, Weakness_Ordinalities
updated Common_Consequences, Description, References, Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
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