CWE-662: Improper Synchronization

What is Improper Synchronization?

• Overview: Improper Synchronization (CWE-662) occurs when a software system uses multiple threads or processes to access a shared resource, but fails to properly coordinate these accesses, potentially leading to simultaneous access by multiple threads or processes, which should be exclusive.

• Exploitation Methods:

• Attackers can exploit improper synchronization by causing race conditions, where multiple threads attempt to modify shared resources concurrently, leading to inconsistent or corrupted data.
• Common attack patterns include triggering operations that rely on predictable timing, causing data races, or exploiting improperly written concurrent code to gain unauthorized access or cause unexpected behavior.

• Security Impact:

• Direct consequences of successful exploitation include data corruption, memory corruption, and application crashes.
• Potential cascading effects could involve broader system instability, denial of service, or the creation of security vulnerabilities in other parts of the system.
• Business impact includes loss of data integrity, decreased system reliability, possible exposure of sensitive information, and increased maintenance and debugging efforts.

• Prevention Guidelines:

• Specific code-level fixes include using mutexes, locks, or semaphores to ensure that only one thread or process can access a shared resource at a time.
• Security best practices involve thoroughly designing concurrent systems with appropriate synchronization mechanisms, regular code reviews, and testing for race conditions.
• Recommended tools and frameworks include static analysis tools that can detect synchronization issues, and using well-tested libraries and frameworks that provide concurrency control features.

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Technical Details

Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified

Affected Languages: Not specified

Affected Technologies: Not specified