The C Standard identifies the following condition under which division and remainder operations result in undefined behavior (UB):
| UB | Description |
The value of the second operand of the |
Ensure that division and remainder operations do not result in divide-by-zero errors.
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The result of the / operator is the quotient from the division of the first arithmetic operand by the second arithmetic operand. Division operations are susceptible to divide-by-zero errors. Overflow can also occur during two's complement signed integer division when the dividend is equal to the minimum (most negative) value for the signed integer type and the divisor is equal to −1. (see See INT32-C. Ensure that operations on signed integers do not result in overflow.).
Noncompliant Code Example
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A divide-by-zero error can result in abnormal program termination and denial of service.
Rule | Severity | Likelihood | Remediation Cost | Priority | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
INT33-C | Low | Likely | Medium | P6 | L2 |
Automated Detection
Tool | Version | Checker | Description | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astrée |
| int-division-by-zero int-modulo-by-zero | Fully checked | ||||||
| Axivion Bauhaus Suite |
| CertC-INT33 | |||||||
| CodeSonar |
| LANG.ARITH.DIVZERO LANG.ARITH.FDIVZERO | Division by zero Float Division By Zero | ||||||
| Compass/ROSE |
Can detect some violations of this rule (In particular, it ensures that all operations involving division or modulo are preceded by a check ensuring that the second operand is nonzero.) | ||
| Coverity |
| DIVIDE_BY_ZERO | Fully implemented | |||||||
| Cppcheck |
| zerodiv zerodivcond | Context sensitive analysis of division by zero |
| Cppcheck Premium |
| zerodiv premium-cert-int33-c | Context sensitive analysis of division by zero Not detected for division by struct member / array element / pointer data that is 0 Detected when there is unsafe division by variable before/after test if variable is zero | ||||||
| Helix QAC |
| C2830 C++2830 DF2831, DF2832, DF2833 | |||||||
| Klocwork |
| DBZ.CONST |
| LDRA tool suite |
| 43 D, 127 D, 248 S, 629 S, 80 X | Partially implemented | ||||||
| Parasoft C/C++test |
| CERT_C-INT33-a | Avoid division by zero |
| Parasoft Insure++ |
| Runtime analysis | |||||||
| Polyspace Bug Finder |
|
2830 (C)
2831 (D)
2832 (A)
2833 (S)
2834 (P)
| Checks for:
|
Dividing integer number by zero
Division / operands from an unsecure source
Remainder % operands are from an unsecure source
Rule fully covered. |
| SonarQube C/C++ Plugin |
| S3518 |
| PVS-Studio |
| V609 | |||||||
| TrustInSoft Analyzer |
| division_by_zero | Exhaustively verified (see one compliant and one non-compliant example). |
Related Vulnerabilities
Search for vulnerabilities resulting from the violation of this rule on the CERT website.
Related Guidelines
Key here (explains table format and definitions)
Taxonomy | Taxonomy item | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| CERT C |
| INT32-C. Ensure that operations on signed integers do not result in overflow |
| Prior to 2018-01-12: CERT: Unspecified Relationship | ||
| CERT Oracle Secure Coding Standard for Java | NUM02-J. Ensure that division and remainder operations do not result in divide-by-zero errors | Prior to 2018-01-12: CERT: Unspecified Relationship |
| ISO/IEC TS 17961 | Integer division errors [diverr] |
| Prior to 2018-01-12: CERT: Unspecified Relationship | ||
| CWE 2.11 | CWE-369, Divide By Zero | 2017-07-07: CERT: Exact |
CERT-CWE Mapping Notes
Key here for mapping notes
CWE-682 and INT33-C
CWE-682 = Union( INT33-C, list) where list =
- Incorrect calculations that do not involve division by zero
Bibliography
| [Seacord 2013b] | Chapter 5, "Integer Security" |
| [Warren 2002] | Chapter 2, "Basics" |
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