Common Weakness Enumeration

CWE-1341

Multiple Releases of Same Resource or Handle

The product attempts to close or release a resource or handle more than once, without any successful open between the close operations.

Mitigation

Phase: Implementation

Description:

  • Change the code's logic so that the resource is only closed once. This might require simplifying or refactoring. This fix can be simple to do in small code blocks, but more difficult when multiple closes are buried within complex conditionals.
Mitigation

Phase: Implementation

Strategy: Refactoring

Description:

  • It can be effective to implement a flag that is (1) set when the resource is opened, (2) cleared when it is closed, and (3) checked before closing. This approach can be useful when there are disparate cases in which closes must be performed. However, flag-tracking can increase code complexity and requires diligent compliance by the programmer.
Mitigation

Phase: Implementation

Strategy: Refactoring

Description:

  • When closing a resource, set the resource's associated variable to NULL or equivalent value for the given language. Some APIs will ignore this null value without causing errors. For other APIs, this can lead to application crashes or exceptions, which may still be preferable to corrupting an unintended resource such as memory or data.

No CAPEC attack patterns related to this CWE.

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