The product attempts to close or release a resource or handle more than once, without any successful open between the close operations.

Code typically requires "opening" handles or references to resources such as memory, files, devices, socket connections, services, etc. When the code is finished with using the resource, it is typically expected to "close" or "release" the resource, which indicates to the environment (such as the OS) that the resource can be re-assigned or reused by unrelated processes or actors - or in some cases, within the same process. API functions or other abstractions are often used to perform this release, such as free() or delete() within C/C++, or file-handle close() operations that are used in many languages.

Unfortunately, the implementation or design of such APIs might expect the developer to be responsible for ensuring that such APIs are only called once per release of the resource. If the developer attempts to release the same resource/handle more than once, then the API's expectations are not met, resulting in undefined and/or insecure behavior. This could lead to consequences such as memory corruption, data corruption, execution path corruption, or other consequences.

Note that while the implementation for most (if not all) resource reservation allocations involve a unique identifier/pointer/symbolic reference, then if this identifier is reused, checking the identifier for resource closure may result in a false state of openness and closing of the wrong resource. For this reason, reuse of identifiers is discouraged.

Modes Of Introduction

Implementation

Applicable Platforms

Language

Name: Java (Undetermined)
Name: Rust (Undetermined)
Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined)
Name: C (Undetermined)
Name: C++ (Undetermined)

Operating Systems

Class: Not OS-Specific (Undetermined)

Architectures

Class: Not Architecture-Specific (Undetermined)

Technologies

Class: Not Technology-Specific (Undetermined)

Common Consequences

Observed Examples

Potential Mitigations

Phases : Implementation
Change the code's logic so that the resource is only closed once. This might require simplifying or refactoring. This fix can be simple to do in small code blocks, but more difficult when multiple closes are buried within complex conditionals.
Phases : Implementation
It can be effective to implement a flag that is (1) set when the resource is opened, (2) cleared when it is closed, and (3) checked before closing. This approach can be useful when there are disparate cases in which closes must be performed. However, flag-tracking can increase code complexity and requires diligent compliance by the programmer.
Phases : Implementation
When closing a resource, set the resource's associated variable to NULL or equivalent value for the given language. Some APIs will ignore this null value without causing errors. For other APIs, this can lead to application crashes or exceptions, which may still be preferable to corrupting an unintended resource such as memory or data.

Detection Methods

Automated Static Analysis

For commonly-used APIs and resource types, automated tools often have signatures that can spot this issue.

Automated Dynamic Analysis

Some compiler instrumentation tools such as AddressSanitizer (ASan) can indirectly detect some instances of this weakness.

Vulnerability Mapping Notes

Rationale : This CWE entry is at the Base level of abstraction, which is a preferred level of abstraction for mapping to the root causes of vulnerabilities.
Comments : Carefully read both the name and description to ensure that this mapping is an appropriate fit. Do not try to 'force' a mapping to a lower-level Base/Variant simply to comply with this preferred level of abstraction.

Notes

The terms related to "release" may vary depending on the type of resource, programming language, specification, or framework. "Close" has been used synonymously for the release of resources like file descriptors and file handles. "Return" is sometimes used instead of Release. "Free" is typically used when releasing memory or buffers back into the system for reuse.

References

REF-1198

close - Perldoc Browser
https://perldoc.perl.org/functions/close

REF-1199

io - Core tools for working with streams — Python 3.9.7 documentation
https://docs.python.org/3.9/library/io.html#io.IOBase.close

REF-1200

FileOutputStream (Java Platform SE 7 )
https://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/io/FileOutputStream.html

REF-1201

FileOutputStream (Java SE 11 & JDK 11 )
https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/11/docs/api/java.base/java/io/FileOutputStream.html

Submission

Modifications