CWE-775: Missing Release of File Descriptor or Handle after Effective Lifetime

What is Missing Release of File Descriptor or Handle after Effective Lifetime?

• Overview: This vulnerability occurs when a program does not properly release a file descriptor or handle after it is no longer needed, leading to resource leaks that can exhaust system resources.

• Exploitation Methods:

• Attackers can intentionally trigger the application to open file descriptors/handles repeatedly without closing them.
• Common attack patterns involve creating scenarios where file descriptors are consumed until the system runs out, potentially causing a denial of service.

• Security Impact:

• Direct consequences include denial of service as the system runs out of file descriptors or handles, preventing legitimate processes from functioning.
• Potential cascading effects include system instability and failure of critical services dependent on file descriptors.
• Business impact could be significant downtime, loss of customer trust, and potential financial losses due to service unavailability.

• Prevention Guidelines:

• Ensure that every file descriptor or handle is explicitly closed once it is no longer needed.
• Implement exception handling to guarantee that resources are released even in the event of an error.
• Use tools and frameworks that automatically manage resource allocation and deallocation, such as RAII (Resource Acquisition Is Initialization) in C++ or using try-with-resources in Java.
• Regularly perform code reviews and static analysis to detect and mitigate resource leaks.

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Technical Details

Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified

Affected Languages: Not specified

Affected Technologies: Not specified