Extended Description
Explicitly initialize the resource before use. If this is performed through an API function or standard procedure, follow all required steps.
Pay close attention to complex conditionals that affect initialization, since some branches might not perform the initialization.
Avoid race conditions ( CWE-362 ) during initialization routines.
Run or compile the product with settings that generate warnings about uninitialized variables or data.
No detection method information available for this CWE.
No examples or observed CVEs available for this CWE.
CWE-908: CWE-908: Use of Uninitialized Resource is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. Description Extended Description
If exploited, CWE-908 (CWE-908: Use of Uninitialized Resource) it can compromise Read Memory, Read Application Data, DoS: Crash, Exit and or Restart, leading to outcomes such as Scope: Confidentiality When reusing a resource such as memory or a program variable, the original contents of that resource may not be cleared before it is sent to an untrusted party. and Scope: Availability The uninitialized resource may contain values that cause program flow to change in ways that the programmer did not intend..
Recommended mitigations for CWE-908 include: Explicitly initialize the resource before use. If this is performed through an API function or standard procedure, follow all required steps. Pay close attention to complex conditionals that affect initialization, since some branches might not perform the initialization. Avoid race conditions ( CWE-362 ) during initialization routines.
CWE-908 commonly affects Languages. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.
A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-908 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.