The product uses a reference count to manage a resource, but it does not update or incorrectly updates the reference count.
View on MITREReference counts can be used when tracking how many objects contain a reference to a particular resource, such as in memory management or garbage collection. When the reference count reaches zero, the resource can be de-allocated or reused because there are no more objects that use it. If the reference count accidentally reaches zero, then the resource might be released too soon, even though it is still in use. If all objects no longer use the resource, but the reference count is not zero, then the resource might not ever be released.
An adversary that can cause a resource counter to become inaccurate may be able to create situations where resources are not accounted for and not released, thus causing resources to become scarce for future needs.
An adversary that can cause a resource counter to become inaccurate may be able to force an error that causes the product to crash or exit out of its current operation.
No mitigation information available for this CWE.
No detection method information available for this CWE.
chain: reference count is not decremented, leading to memory leak in OS by sending ICMP packets.
View DetailsReference count for shared memory not decremented when a function fails, potentially allowing unprivileged users to read kernel memory.
View Detailschain: improper reference count tracking leads to file descriptor consumption
View Detailschain: integer overflow in reference counter causes the same variable to be destroyed twice.
View DetailsIncorrect reference count calculation leads to improper object destruction and code execution.
View Detailschain/composite: use of incorrect data type for a reference counter allows an overflow of the counter, leading to a free of memory that is still in use.
View Detailschain: improper reference counting in a garbage collection routine leads to use-after-free
View Detailschain: reference count not correctly maintained when client disconnects during a large operation, leading to a use-after-free.
View DetailsReference count not always incremented, leading to crash or code execution.
View DetailsOS kernel increments reference count twice but only decrements once, leading to resource consumption and crash.
View DetailsRace condition causes reference counter to be decremented prematurely, leading to the destruction of still-active object and an invalid pointer dereference.
View DetailsCWE-911: Improper Update of Reference Count is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product uses a reference count to manage a resource, but it does not update or incorrectly updates the reference count. Reference counts can be used when tracking how many objects contain a reference to a particular resource, such as in memory management or garbage collection. When the reference count reaches zero, the resource can be de-allocated or reused because there are no more objects that use it. If the reference count accidentally reaches zero, then the resource might be released too soon, even though it is still in use. If all objects no longer use the resource, but the reference count is not zero, then the resource might not ever be released.
If exploited, CWE-911 (Improper Update of Reference Count) it can compromise Availability, leading to outcomes such as DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory), DoS: Resource Consumption (Other) and DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart.
CWE-911 commonly affects C, C++ and Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.
MITRE documents real CVEs mapped to CWE-911, including CVE-2002-0574, CVE-2004-0114, CVE-2006-3741, CVE-2007-1383 and CVE-2007-1700. 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-911 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.