CWE-563: Assignment to Variable without Use
Learn about CWE-563 (Assignment to Variable without Use), its security impact, exploitation methods, and prevention guidelines.
What is Assignment to Variable without Use?
• Overview: Assignment to Variable without Use (CWE-563) occurs when a variable is assigned a value but is never actually used in the program, resulting in a dead store. This can indicate redundant code or a potential logical error.
• Exploitation Methods:
- Attackers cannot directly exploit this vulnerability as it often does not affect runtime behavior or security directly.
- It can contribute to code complexity and maintenance challenges, potentially obscuring actual vulnerabilities.
• Security Impact:
- Direct consequences: Generally, this vulnerability does not lead to direct security threats.
- Potential cascading effects: May hide actual logic errors or bugs that could lead to vulnerabilities.
- Business impact: Can increase code maintenance costs and make it harder to ensure code quality and security.
• Prevention Guidelines:
- Specific code-level fixes: Regularly review and refactor code to remove unused variables.
- Security best practices: Implement static code analysis tools to detect and eliminate dead code.
- Recommended tools and frameworks: Use integrated development environments (IDEs) with built-in static analysis capabilities or tools like SonarQube, ESLint, or FindBugs to detect dead stores.
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Technical Details
Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified
Affected Languages: Not specified
Affected Technologies: Not specified