What is CWE-414: Missing Lock Check?

CWE-414: Missing Lock Check is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. A product does not check to see if a lock is present before performing sensitive operations on a resource.

What are the security consequences of Missing Lock Check?

If exploited, CWE-414 (Missing Lock Check) it can compromise Integrity and Availability, leading to outcomes such as Modify Application Data, DoS: Instability and DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart.

How do you prevent or mitigate Missing Lock Check?

Recommended mitigations for CWE-414 include: Implement a reliable lock mechanism.

Which programming languages are affected by Missing Lock Check?

CWE-414 commonly affects Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.

What are real-world examples of Missing Lock Check?

MITRE documents real CVEs mapped to CWE-414, including CVE-2004-1056. You can look up the full details of each CVE, including CVSS scores and remediation guidance, on our CVE Lookup tool.

What is the difference between a CWE and a CVE?

A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-414 describes a category of software weakness — the underlying flaw type. A CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) identifies a specific, real-world vulnerability in a particular product. In short, a CWE is the kind of mistake, and a CVE is an instance of that mistake being found in software.

CWE-414: Missing Lock Check

Verify controls for CWE-414 with SSDF evidence

Use NIST SSDF verification and vulnerability-response practices to detect CWE-414, Missing Lock Check, throughout the product lifecycle. Derive review questions, static or dynamic checks, and negative tests from the CWE's causal behavior; define the components and lifecycle stages each check covers; and retain findings with enough evidence to distinguish the root cause from symptoms and impacts. Track escapes and false negatives, then improve the verification plan after every confirmed occurrence.

NIST SP 800-218 Secure Software Development Framework — National Institute of Standards and Technology

Address Missing Lock Check during Architecture and Design

MITRE associates mitigation with Architecture and Design, and Implementation; documented detection approaches include Automated Static Analysis; recorded impacts include Modify Application Data, DoS: Instability, and DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart. Use these source-defined anchors to turn CWE-414 into implementation, review, and verification checks for the affected component.

CWE-414: Missing Lock Check — MITRE CWE

Triage CWE-414 against known exploitation evidence

Use CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog to test whether a vulnerability mapped to CWE-414, Missing Lock Check, has evidence of exploitation in the wild. Confirm the CVE-to-CWE root-cause mapping independently before attaching the example, then capture the affected product, required action, and remediation deadline. A missing KEV match is not evidence that the weakness is unexploited, and a KEV entry must not be generalized to every occurrence of this CWE.

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog — Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Apply precise root-cause mapping to CWE-414

Apply MITRE's full root-cause mapping guidance when using CWE-414, Missing Lock Check. Separate weakness language from attacker prerequisites and technical impact, check the entry's abstraction and vulnerability-mapping notes, and prefer the most specific Base or Variant supported by the evidence. Record the rejected alternatives and require an independent review before the mapping is used for remediation trends or program metrics.

CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Guidance — MITRE CWE

Validate CWE-414 with root-cause mapping checks

Apply MITRE's root-cause mapping quick tips to CWE-414, Missing Lock Check. Confirm the finding describes the causal weakness rather than an impact or attack pattern, compare the abstraction and mapping notes with plausible alternatives, and have a second reviewer challenge the selection. Preserve the evidence and reasoning so recurring defects can be measured against one consistent identifier.

CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Quick Tips — MITRE CWE

CWE-414: Missing Lock Check

Technical Details

Applicable To

Security Consequences

Scope

Impact

Mitigation Strategies

Phase

Description

Detection Methods

Code Examples & CVEs

Observed CVE Examples (1)

CWE Relationships

Parent Weaknesses

Source-backed guidance

Verify controls for CWE-414 with SSDF evidence

Address Missing Lock Check during Architecture and Design

Triage CWE-414 against known exploitation evidence

Apply precise root-cause mapping to CWE-414

Validate CWE-414 with root-cause mapping checks

Frequently Asked Questions

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