CWE-1085: Invokable Control Element with Excessive Volume of Commented-out Code
Learn about CWE-1085 (Invokable Control Element with Excessive Volume of Commented-out Code), its security impact, exploitation methods, and prevention guidelines.
What is Invokable Control Element with Excessive Volume of Commented-out Code?
• Overview: This vulnerability occurs when a function or method has a significant amount of its code commented out. This excessive commented-out code makes the software harder to maintain, which can indirectly affect security by complicating the identification and remediation of vulnerabilities. It can also inadvertently introduce vulnerabilities into the codebase.
• Exploitation Methods:
- Attackers may not directly exploit this issue, but it can lead to overlooked vulnerabilities within the commented-out sections that developers might mistakenly believe are inactive.
- Common attack patterns and techniques involve exploiting the confusion or errors introduced by outdated or excessive commented-out code, potentially leading to improper validation or logic flaws.
• Security Impact:
- Direct consequences of successful exploitation include increased difficulty in maintaining secure and efficient code, potentially leading to vulnerabilities.
- Potential cascading effects include increased likelihood of introducing security flaws during maintenance or enhancements.
- Business impact involves higher costs and time required for code reviews, maintenance, and debugging, ultimately affecting software reliability and security posture.
• Prevention Guidelines:
- Specific code-level fixes include regularly reviewing and cleaning up commented-out code to ensure only relevant and necessary comments remain.
- Security best practices involve maintaining clear and concise comments, documenting the purpose and functionality of code without relying heavily on commented-out sections.
- Recommended tools and frameworks such as static code analysis tools can help identify sections of excessive commented-out code and enforce coding standards.
Technical Details
Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified
Affected Languages: Not specified
Affected Technologies: Not specified