CWE-774—Allocation of File Descriptors or Handles Without Limits or Throttling

Weakness Name

Allocation of File Descriptors or Handles Without Limits or Throttling

Description

The product allocates file descriptors or handles on behalf of an actor without imposing any restrictions on how many descriptors can be allocated, in violation of the intended security policy for that actor.

This can cause the product to consume all available file descriptors or handles, which can prevent other processes from performing critical file processing operations.

Common Consequences

Scope:

Availability

Impact:

DoS: Resource Consumption (Other)

Notes:

When allocating resources without limits, an attacker could prevent all other processes from accessing the same type of resource.

Related Weaknesses

• CWE-770Allocation of Resources Without Limits or ThrottlingHigh