CWE-248

Uncaught Exception

Weakness Description

An exception is thrown from a function, but it is not caught.

When an exception is not caught, it may cause the program to crash or expose sensitive information.

Common Consequences

AvailabilityConfidentiality
DoS: Crash, Exit, or RestartRead Application Data

An uncaught exception could cause the system to be placed in a state that could lead to a crash, exposure of sensitive information or other unintended behaviors.

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

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