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C

C static code analysis

Unique rules to find Bugs, Vulnerabilities, Security Hotspots, and Code Smells in your C code

  • All rules 315
  • Vulnerability13
  • Bug76
  • Security Hotspot19
  • Code Smell207

  • Quick Fix 19
 
Tags
    Impact
      Clean code attribute
        1. Accessing files should not introduce TOCTOU vulnerabilities

           Vulnerability
        2. Account validity should be verified when authenticating users with PAM

           Vulnerability
        3. "memset" should not be used to delete sensitive data

           Vulnerability
        4. POSIX functions should not be called with arguments that trigger buffer overflows

           Vulnerability
        5. Cipher algorithms should be robust

           Vulnerability
        6. Encryption algorithms should be used with secure mode and padding scheme

           Vulnerability
        7. Server hostnames should be verified during SSL/TLS connections

           Vulnerability
        8. Server certificates should be verified during SSL/TLS connections

           Vulnerability
        9. Cryptographic keys should be robust

           Vulnerability
        10. Weak SSL/TLS protocols should not be used

           Vulnerability
        11. XML parsers should not be vulnerable to XXE attacks

           Vulnerability
        12. Insecure functions should not be used

           Vulnerability
        13. "scanf()" and "fscanf()" format strings should specify a field width for the "%s" string placeholder

           Vulnerability

        "memset" should not be used to delete sensitive data

        intentionality - logical
        security
        Vulnerability
        • cwe

        If a buffer contains sensitive data, such as passwords or access tokens, it is good practice to overwrite the buffer before releasing the memory. This ensures that the sensitive data is not available when that memory is reallocated. The memset function is commonly used for this purpose.

        Why is this an issue?

        How can I fix it?

        More Info

        The C language specification allows the compiler to remove unnecessary code during the optimization phase. For example, when a memory buffer is about to be destroyed, any writes to that buffer may be seen as unnecessary to the operation of the program. The compiler may choose to remove these write operations.

        When the memset function is used to clear sensitive data from memory and that memory is destroyed immediately afterward, the compiler may see the memset call as unnecessary and remove it. The sensitive data will, therefore, remain in memory.

        This rule raises an issue when a call to memset is followed by the destruction of the buffer.

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          Developer Edition
          Available Since
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