CWE-833: Deadlock
Learn about CWE-833 (Deadlock), its security impact, exploitation methods, and prevention guidelines.
What is Deadlock?
• Overview: Deadlock occurs when multiple threads or processes are unable to proceed because each is waiting for the other to release a lock or resource, leading to a standstill in program execution.
• Exploitation Methods:
- Attackers can exploit deadlock conditions to cause a denial of service by triggering scenarios where multiple threads are indefinitely blocked.
- Common techniques include intentionally creating resource contention and forcing the application into a deadlock state by manipulating lock acquisition order.
• Security Impact:
- Direct consequences include application hangs or crashes, leading to denial of service.
- Potential cascading effects include resource exhaustion and system instability if the deadlock occurs frequently.
- Business impact involves loss of availability of critical services, potentially leading to financial loss and damage to reputation.
• Prevention Guidelines:
- Specific code-level fixes include avoiding nested locks and implementing lock timeouts to release locks after a certain period.
- Security best practices involve designing systems with minimal locking, using non-blocking algorithms, and employing lock hierarchy to prevent circular wait conditions.
- Recommended tools and frameworks include static analysis tools to detect potential deadlocks and concurrency libraries that offer higher-level abstractions for safe synchronization.
Technical Details
Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified
Affected Languages: Not specified
Affected Technologies: Not specified