Missing Release of File Descriptor or Handle after Effective Lifetime
Incomplete Variant
Structure: Simple
Description
The product does not release a file descriptor or handle after its effective lifetime has ended, i.e., after the file descriptor/handle is no longer needed.
When a file descriptor or handle is not released after use (typically by explicitly closing it), attackers can cause a denial of service by consuming all available file descriptors/handles, or otherwise preventing other system processes from obtaining their own file descriptors/handles.
Common Consequences 1
Scope: Availability
Impact: DoS: Resource Consumption (Other)
An attacker that can influence the allocation of resources that are not properly released could deplete the available resource pool and prevent all other processes from accessing the same type of resource.
Potential Mitigations 1
Phase: OperationArchitecture and Design
Strategy: Resource Limitation
Use resource-limiting settings provided by the operating system or environment. For example, when managing system resources in POSIX, setrlimit() can be used to set limits for certain types of resources, and getrlimit() can determine how many resources are available. However, these functions are not available on all operating systems.
When the current levels get close to the maximum that is defined for the application (see Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling), then limit the allocation of further resources to privileged users; alternately, begin releasing resources for less-privileged users. While this mitigation may protect the system from attack, it will not necessarily stop attackers from adversely impacting other users.
Ensure that the application performs the appropriate error checks and error handling in case resources become unavailable (Improper Check or Handling of Exceptional Conditions).
Observed Examples 1
CVE-2007-0897Chain: anti-virus product encounters a malformed file but returns from a function without closing a file descriptor (Missing Release of File Descriptor or Handle after Effective Lifetime) leading to file descriptor consumption (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) and failed scans.
References 1
The Art of Software Security Assessment
Mark Dowd, John McDonald, and Justin Schuh
Addison Wesley
2006
ID: REF-62
Modes of Introduction
Implementation
Related Weaknesses
Taxonomy Mapping
- CERT C Secure Coding
- Software Fault Patterns