The product does not initialize critical variables, which causes the execution environment to use unexpected values.
Ensure that critical variables are initialized before first use [REF-1485].
Choose a language that is not susceptible to these issues.
The uninitialized data may be invalid, causing logic errors within the program. In some cases, this could result in a security problem.
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