Critical Public Variable Without Final Modifier
Weakness ID: 493 (Weakness Variant)Status: Draft
+ Description

Description Summary

The product has a critical public variable that is not final, which allows the variable to be modified to contain unexpected values.

Extended Description

If a field is non-final and public, it can be changed once the value is set by any function that has access to the class which contains the field. This could lead to a vulnerability if other parts of the program make assumptions about the contents of that field.

+ Time of Introduction
  • Implementation
+ Applicable Platforms

Languages

Java

C++

+ Common Consequences
ScopeEffect
Integrity

The object could potentially be tampered with.

Confidentiality

The object could potentially allow the object to be read.

+ Likelihood of Exploit

High

+ Demonstrative Examples

Example 1

Suppose this WidgetData class is used for an e-commerce web site. The programmer attempts to prevent price-tampering attacks by setting the price of the widget using the constructor.

(Bad Code)
Example Language: Java 
public final class WidgetData extends Applet {
public float price;
...
public WidgetData(...) {
this.price = LookupPrice("MyWidgetType");
}
}

The price field is not final. Even though the value is set by the constructor, it could be modified by anybody that has access to an instance of WidgetData.

Example 2

Assume the following code is intended to provide the location of a configuration file that controls execution of the application.

(Bad Code)
Example Language: C++ 
public string configPath = "/etc/application/config.dat";
(Bad Code)
Example Language: Java 
public String configPath = new String("/etc/application/config.dat");

While this field is readable from any function, and thus might allow an information leak of a pathname, a more serious problem is that it can be changed by any function.

+ Potential Mitigations

Phase: Implementation

Declare all public fields as final when possible, especially if it is used to maintain internal state of an Applet or of classes used by an Applet. If a field must be public, then perform all appropriate sanity checks before accessing the field from your code.

+ Background Details

Mobile code, such as a Java Applet, is code that is transmitted across a network and executed on a remote machine. Because mobile code developers have little if any control of the environment in which their code will execute, special security concerns become relevant. One of the biggest environmental threats results from the risk that the mobile code will run side-by-side with other, potentially malicious, mobile code. Because all of the popular web browsers execute code from multiple sources together in the same JVM, many of the security guidelines for mobile code are focused on preventing manipulation of your objects' state and behavior by adversaries who have access to the same virtual machine where your program is running.

Final provides security by only allowing non-mutable objects to be changed after being set. However, only objects which are not extended can be made final.

+ Relationships
NatureTypeIDNameView(s) this relationship pertains toView(s)
ChildOfWeakness ClassWeakness Class216Containment Errors (Container Errors)
Research Concepts1000
ChildOfWeakness ClassWeakness Class485Insufficient Encapsulation
Seven Pernicious Kingdoms (primary)700
ChildOfCategoryCategory490Mobile Code Issues
Development Concepts (primary)699
ChildOfWeakness ClassWeakness Class668Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere
Research Concepts (primary)1000
ParentOfWeakness VariantWeakness Variant500Public Static Field Not Marked Final
Development Concepts (primary)699
Research Concepts (primary)1000
+ Taxonomy Mappings
Mapped Taxonomy NameNode IDFitMapped Node Name
7 Pernicious KingdomsMobile Code: Non-Final Public Field
CLASPFailure to provide confidentiality for stored data
+ Content History
Submissions
Submission DateSubmitterOrganizationSource
7 Pernicious KingdomsExternally Mined
Modifications
Modification DateModifierOrganizationSource
2008-07-01Eric DalciCigitalExternal
updated Time of Introduction
2008-09-08CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Applicable Platforms, Common Consequences, Description, Likelihood of Exploit, Relationships, Other Notes, Taxonomy Mappings
2008-11-24CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Background Details, Demonstrative Examples, Description, Other Notes, Potential Mitigations
2009-05-27CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Background Details, Demonstrative Examples, Description, Relationships
Previous Entry Names
Change DatePrevious Entry Name
2008-04-11Mobile Code: Non-final Public Field
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