The product does not properly return control flow to the proper location after it has completed a task or detected an unusual condition.
View on MITRENo mitigation information available for this CWE.
No detection method information available for this CWE.
The following example attempts to resolve a hostname.
A DNS lookup failure will cause the Servlet to throw an exception.
protected void doPost (HttpServletRequest req, HttpServletResponse res) throws IOException {String ip = req.getRemoteAddr();InetAddress addr = InetAddress.getByName(ip);...out.println("hello " + addr.getHostName());}This code queries a server and displays its status when a request comes from an authorized IP address.
This code redirects unauthorized users, but continues to execute code after calling http_redirect(). This means even unauthorized users may be able to access the contents of the page or perform a DoS attack on the server being queried. Also, note that this code is vulnerable to an IP address spoofing attack (CWE-212).
$requestingIP = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];if(!in_array($requestingIP,$ipAllowList)){echo "You are not authorized to view this page";http_redirect($errorPageURL);}$status = getServerStatus();echo $status; ...Included in the doPost() method defined below is a call to System.exit() in the event of a specific exception.
Public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {try {...} catch (ApplicationSpecificException ase) {logger.error("Caught: " + ase.toString());System.exit(1);}}Java code in a smartphone OS can encounter a "boot loop" due to an uncaught exception
View DetailsChain: incorrect "goto" in Apple SSL product bypasses certificate validation, allowing Adversary-in-the-Middle (AITM) attack (Apple "goto fail" bug). CWE-705 (Incorrect Control Flow Scoping) -> CWE-561 (Dead Code) -> CWE-295 (Improper Certificate Validation) -> CWE-393 (Return of Wrong Status Code) -> CWE-300 (Channel Accessible by Non-Endpoint). The code's whitespace indentation did not reflect the actual control flow (CWE-1114) and did not explicitly delimit the block (CWE-483), which could have made it more difficult for human code auditors to detect the vulnerability.
View DetailsAdditional facts reviewed against primary or authoritative security sources.
Documented detection approaches include Automated Static Analysis; recorded impacts include Alter Execution Logic, and Other; observed examples include CVE-2023-21087, and CVE-2014-1266. Use these source-defined anchors to turn CWE-705 into implementation, review, and verification checks for the affected component.
CWE-705: Incorrect Control Flow Scoping — MITRE CWEUse NIST SSDF practices to make prevention of CWE-705, Incorrect Control Flow Scoping, an explicit development outcome. Translate the CWE definition into security requirements and design constraints, choose safer implementation patterns and toolchain checks, and define acceptance evidence before release. Feed every confirmed occurrence back into the requirements, design review, and coding rules so the same root cause is removed across the product rather than patched in one location.
NIST SP 800-218 Secure Software Development Framework — National Institute of Standards and TechnologyUse CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog to test whether a vulnerability mapped to CWE-705, Incorrect Control Flow Scoping, 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 AgencyApply MITRE's full root-cause mapping guidance when using CWE-705, Incorrect Control Flow Scoping. 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 CWEApply MITRE's root-cause mapping quick tips to CWE-705, Incorrect Control Flow Scoping. 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 CWECWE-705: Incorrect Control Flow Scoping is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product does not properly return control flow to the proper location after it has completed a task or detected an unusual condition.
If exploited, CWE-705 (Incorrect Control Flow Scoping) it can compromise Other, leading to outcomes such as Alter Execution Logic and Other.
CWE-705 commonly affects Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.
MITRE documents real CVEs mapped to CWE-705, including CVE-2023-21087 and CVE-2014-1266. You can look up the full details of each CVE, including CVSS scores and remediation guidance, on our CVE Lookup tool.
A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-705 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.