Declaration of Throws for Generic Exception
Weakness ID: 397 (Weakness Base)Status: Draft
+ Description

Description Summary

Throwing overly broad exceptions promotes complex error handling code that is more likely to contain security vulnerabilities.

Extended Description

Declaring a method to throw Exception or Throwable makes it difficult for callers to perform proper error handling and error recovery. Java's exception mechanism, for example, is set up to make it easy for callers to anticipate what can go wrong and write code to handle each specific exceptional circumstance. Declaring that a method throws a generic form of exception defeats this system.

+ Time of Introduction
  • Architecture and Design
  • Implementation
+ Applicable Platforms

Languages

C++

Java

.NET

+ Demonstrative Examples

Example 1

The following method throws three types of exceptions.

(Good Code)
Example Language: Java 
public void doExchange() throws IOException, InvocationTargetException, SQLException {
...
}

While it might seem tidier to write

(Bad Code)
 
public void doExchange() throws Exception {
...
}

doing so hampers the caller's ability to understand and handle the exceptions that occur. Further, if a later revision of doExchange() introduces a new type of exception that should be treated differently than previous exceptions, there is no easy way to enforce this requirement.

+ Relationships
NatureTypeIDNameView(s) this relationship pertains toView(s)
ChildOfWeakness ClassWeakness Class221Information Loss or Omission
Research Concepts1000
ChildOfCategoryCategory388Error Handling
Seven Pernicious Kingdoms (primary)700
ChildOfCategoryCategory389Error Conditions, Return Values, Status Codes
Development Concepts (primary)699
ChildOfWeakness ClassWeakness Class703Failure to Handle Exceptional Conditions
Research Concepts1000
ChildOfWeakness ClassWeakness Class705Incorrect Control Flow Scoping
Research Concepts (primary)1000
+ Taxonomy Mappings
Mapped Taxonomy NameNode IDFitMapped Node Name
7 Pernicious KingdomsOverly-Broad Throws Declaration
+ 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, Relationships, Other Notes, Taxonomy Mappings
2008-09-24CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
Removed C from Applicable Platforms
2008-10-14CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Applicable Platforms
2009-03-10CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Relationships
2009-05-27CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Demonstrative Examples
2009-10-29CWE Content TeamMITREInternal
updated Description, Other Notes
Previous Entry Names
Change DatePrevious Entry Name
2008-04-11Overly-Broad Throws Declaration
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