CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
This can have security implications when the expected synchronization is in security-critical code, such as recording whether a user is authenticated or modifying important state information that should not be influenced by an outsider.
A race condition occurs within concurrent environments, and is effectively a property of a code sequence. Depending on the context, a code sequence may be in the form of a function call, a small number of instructions, a series of program invocations, etc.
A race condition violates these properties, which are closely related:
- Exclusivity - the code sequence is given exclusive access to the shared resource, i.e., no other code sequence can modify properties of the shared resource before the original sequence has completed execution.
- Atomicity - the code sequence is behaviorally atomic, i.e., no other thread or process can concurrently execute the same sequence of instructions (or a subset) against the same resource.
A race condition exists when an "interfering code sequence" can still access the shared resource, violating exclusivity. Programmers may assume that certain code sequences execute too quickly to be affected by an interfering code sequence; when they are not, this violates atomicity. For example, the single "x++" statement may appear atomic at the code layer, but it is actually non-atomic at the instruction layer, since it involves a read (the original value of x), followed by a computation (x+1), followed by a write (save the result to x).
The interfering code sequence could be "trusted" or "untrusted." A trusted interfering code sequence occurs within the product; it cannot be modified by the attacker, and it can only be invoked indirectly. An untrusted interfering code sequence can be authored directly by the attacker, and typically it is external to the vulnerable product.
Modes of Introduction
Phase | Note |
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Architecture and Design | |
Implementation |
Applicable Platforms
Type | Class | Name | Prevalence |
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Language | C | ||
Language | C++ | ||
Language | Java | ||
Technology | Mobile | ||
Technology | ICS/OT |
Relationships
View | Weakness | |||||||
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# ID | View | Status | # ID | Name | Abstraction | Structure | Status | |
CWE-1000 | Research Concepts | Draft | CWE-691 | Insufficient Control Flow Management | Pillar | Simple | Draft | |
CWE-1000 | Research Concepts | Draft | CWE-416 | Use After Free | Variant | Simple | Stable | |
CWE-1000 | Research Concepts | Draft | CWE-476 | NULL Pointer Dereference | Base | Simple | Stable |
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
The Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPECâ„¢) effort provides a publicly available catalog of common attack patterns that helps users understand how adversaries exploit weaknesses in applications and other cyber-enabled capabilities.
CAPEC at Mitre.orgCVEs Published
CVSS Severity
CVSS Severity - By Year
CVSS Base Score
# CVE | Description | CVSS | EPSS | EPSS Trend (30 days) | Affected Products | Weaknesses | Security Advisories | Exploits | PoC | Pubblication Date | Modification Date |
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# CVE | Description | CVSS | EPSS | EPSS Trend (30 days) | Affected Products | Weaknesses | Security Advisories | PoC | Pubblication Date | Modification Date |