CWE-1071: Empty Code Block
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Edit Custom FilterThe source code contains a block that does not contain any code, i.e., the block is empty.
Empty code blocks can occur in the bodies of conditionals, function or method definitions, exception handlers, etc. While an empty code block might be intentional, it might also indicate incomplete implementation, accidental code deletion, unexpected macro expansion, etc. For some programming languages and constructs, an empty block might be allowed by the syntax, but the lack of any behavior within the block might violate a convention or API in such a way that it is an error. This table specifies different individual consequences
associated with the weakness. The Scope identifies the application security area that is
violated, while the Impact describes the negative technical impact that arises if an
adversary succeeds in exploiting this weakness. The Likelihood provides information about
how likely the specific consequence is expected to be seen relative to the other
consequences in the list. For example, there may be high likelihood that a weakness will be
exploited to achieve a certain impact, but a low likelihood that it will be exploited to
achieve a different impact.
This table shows the weaknesses and high level categories that are related to this
weakness. These relationships are defined as ChildOf, ParentOf, MemberOf and give insight to
similar items that may exist at higher and lower levels of abstraction. In addition,
relationships such as PeerOf and CanAlsoBe are defined to show similar weaknesses that the user
may want to explore.
Relevant to the view "Research Concepts" (View-1000)
Relevant to the view "Software Development" (View-699)
The different Modes of Introduction provide information
about how and when this
weakness may be introduced. The Phase identifies a point in the life cycle at which
introduction
may occur, while the Note provides a typical scenario related to introduction during the
given
phase.
This listing shows possible areas for which the given
weakness could appear. These
may be for specific named Languages, Operating Systems, Architectures, Paradigms,
Technologies,
or a class of such platforms. The platform is listed along with how frequently the given
weakness appears for that instance.
Example 1 In the following Java example, the code catches an ArithmeticException. (bad code)
Example Language: Java
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int a = 1;
int b = 0; int c = 0; try { c = a / b;
} catch(ArithmeticException ae) { } } } Since the exception block is empty, no action is taken. In the code below the exception has been logged and the bad execution has been handled in the desired way allowing the program to continue in an expected way. (good code)
Example Language: Java
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int a = 1;
int b = 0; int c = 0; try { c = a / b;
} catch(ArithmeticException ae) { log.error("Divided by zero detected, setting to -1.");
c = -1; } } } Example 2 The following code attempts to synchronize on an object, but does not execute anything in the synchronized block. This does not actually accomplish anything and may be a sign that a programmer is wrestling with synchronization but has not yet achieved the result they intend. (bad code)
Example Language: Java
synchronized(this) { }
Instead, in a correct usage, the synchronized statement should contain procedures that access or modify data that is exposed to multiple threads. For example, consider a scenario in which several threads are accessing student records at the same time. The method which sets the student ID to a new value will need to make sure that nobody else is accessing this data at the same time and will require synchronization. (good code)
Example Language: Java
public void setID(int ID){
synchronized(this){ }this.ID = ID; }
This MemberOf Relationships table shows additional CWE Categories and Views that
reference this weakness as a member. This information is often useful in understanding where a
weakness fits within the context of external information sources.
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