CWE-590Free of Memory not on the Heap

Description

The product calls free() on a pointer to memory that was not allocated using associated heap allocation functions such as malloc(), calloc(), or realloc().

When free() is called on an invalid pointer, the program's memory management data structures may become corrupted. This corruption can cause the program to crash or, in some circumstances, an attacker may be able to cause free() to operate on controllable memory locations to modify critical program variables or execute code.

Common consequences

• Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability→Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands,Modify Memory
  There is the potential for arbitrary code execution with privileges of the vulnerable program via a "write, what where" primitive. If pointers to memory which hold user information are freed, a malicious user will be able to write 4 bytes a

Potential mitigations

• Implementation
  Only free pointers that you have called malloc on previously. This is the recommended solution. Keep track of which pointers point at the beginning of valid chunks and free them only once.
• Implementation
  Before freeing a pointer, the programmer should make sure that the pointer was previously allocated on the heap and that the memory belongs to the programmer. Freeing an unallocated pointer will cause undefined behavior in the program.
• Architecture and Design
  [object Object]
• Architecture and Design
  Use a language that provides abstractions for memory allocation and deallocation.

Related CWEs

Recent CVEs classified under this CWE