Threads and tasks that block on operations involving network or file I/O must provide callers with an explicit termination mechanism to prevent denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerabilities.
Noncompliant Code Example (Blocking I/O, Volatile Flag)
This noncompliant code example uses a volatile done
flag to indicate it whether is safe to shut down the thread, as suggested in THI05-J. Do not use Thread.stop() to terminate threads. However, when the thread is blocked on network I/O as a consequence of invoking the readLine()
method, it cannot respond to the newly set flag until the network I/O is complete. Consequently, thread termination may be indefinitely delayed.
Code Block | ||
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| ||
// Thread-safe class
public final class SocketReader implements Runnable {
private final Socket socket;
private final BufferedReader in;
private volatile boolean done = false;
private final Object lock = new Object();
public SocketReader(String host, int port) throws IOException {
this.socket = new Socket(host, port);
this.in = new BufferedReader(
new InputStreamReader(this.socket.getInputStream())
);
}
// Only one thread can use the socket at a particular time
@Override public void run() {
try {
synchronized (lock) {
readData();
}
} catch (IOException ie) {
// Forward to handler
}
}
public void readData( | ||
Wiki Markup | ||
The recommendations suggested in the guideline [CON13-J. Do not use Thread.stop() to terminate threads] are insufficient to terminate a thread that is blocked on an operation involving network or file input or output (IO). Threads and tasks should provide callers with an explicit termination mechanism to prevent denial of service vulnerabilities. h2. Noncompliant Code Example (blocking IO, volatile flag) This noncompliant code example uses a volatile {{done}} flag to indicate that it is safe to shut down the thread, as suggested in [CON13-J. Do not use Thread.stop() to terminate threads]. However, setting the flag does not terminate the thread because the thread is blocked on network IO as a consequence of using the {{readLine()}} method. {code:bgColor=#FFcccc} public final class SocketReader implements Runnable { // Thread-safe class private final Socket socket; private final BufferedReader in; private volatile boolean done = false; private final Object lock = new Object(); public SocketReader(String host, int port) throws IOException { String string; this.socket = new Socket(host, port); this.in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(this.socket.getInputStream())); } while (!done && (string = in.readLine()) != null) { // OnlyBlocks oneuntil threadend canof use the socket at a particular timestream (null) } } public void runshutdown() { done try= {true; } public static synchronizedvoid main(lockString[] args) { readData(); } } catchthrows (IOException, ie)InterruptedException { SocketReader reader //= Forward to handlernew SocketReader("somehost", 25); } Thread thread } = new public void readDataThread() throws IOException {reader); String stringthread.start(); while (!done && (string = in.readLine()) != null) { // Blocks until end of stream (null) } }Thread.sleep(1000); reader.shutdown(); // Shut down the thread } } |
Noncompliant Code Example (Blocking I/O, Interruptible)
This noncompliant code example is similar to the preceding example but uses thread interruption to shut down the thread. Network I/O on a java.net.Socket
is unresponsive to thread interruption.
Code Block | ||
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| ||
// Thread-safe class public final class SocketReader implements Runnable { // Other methods... public void shutdownreadData() throws IOException { doneString = truestring; } public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException, InterruptedException { SocketReader reader = new SocketReader("somehost", 25); Thread thread = new Thread(reader); thread.start(); Thread.sleep(1000); reader.shutdown(); // Shutdown the thread } } {code} h2. Noncompliant Code Example (blocking IO, interruptible) This noncompliant code example is similar to the preceding one, but uses thread interruption to shut down the thread. Network IO is not responsive to thread interruption when a {{java.net.Socket}} is being used. {code:bgColor=#FFcccc} public final class SocketReader implements Runnable { // Thread-safe class // ... public void readData() throws IOException { String string; while (!Thread.interrupted() && (string = in.readLine()) != null) { // Blocks until end of stream (null) } } public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException, InterruptedException { SocketReader reader = new SocketReader("somehost", 25); Thread thread = new Thread(reader); thread.start(); Thread.sleep(1000); thread.interrupt(); // Interrupt the thread } } {code} h2. Compliant Solution (close socket connection) This compliant solution resumes the thread by having the {{shutdown()}} method close the socket. The {{readLine()}} method throws a {{SocketException}} when the socket is closed which lets the thread proceed. Note that there is no way to keep the connection alive if the thread is to be cleanly halted immediately. {code:bgColor=#ccccff} public final class SocketReader implements Runnable { // ... public void readData() throws IOException { String string; try { while ((string = in.readLine()) != null) { // Blocks until end of stream (null) } } finally { shutdown(); } } public void shutdown() throws IOException { socket.close(); } public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException, InterruptedException { SocketReader reader = new SocketReader(); Thread thread = new Thread(reader); thread.start(); Thread.sleep(1000); reader.shutdown(); } } {code} The {{finally}} block executes after {{shutdown()}} is called. Because the {{finally}} block also calls {{shutdown()}}, the socket will be closed twice. The second call has no effect if the socket has already been closed. When performing asynchronous IO, a {{java.nio.channels.Selector}} may also be brought out of the blocked state by either invoking its {{close()}} or {{wakeup()}} method. A {{boolean}} flag can be used (as shown earlier) if additional operations need to be performed after emerging from the blocked state. When supplementing the code with such a flag, the {{shutdown()}} method should also set the flag to false so that the thread can cleanly exit from the while loop. h2. Compliant Solution (interruptible channel) This compliant solution uses an interruptible channel, {{java.nio.channels.SocketChannel}}, instead of a {{Socket}} connection. If the thread performing the network IO is interrupted using the {{Thread.interrupt()}} method while it is reading the data, the thread receives a {{ClosedByInterruptException}} and the channel is closed immediately. The thread's interrupt status is also set. {code:bgColor=#ccccff} public final class SocketReader implements Runnable { private final SocketChannel sc; private final Object lock = new Object(); public SocketReader(String host, int port) throws IOException { sc = SocketChannel.open(new InetSocketAddress(host, port)); } public void run() { ByteBuffer buf = ByteBuffer.allocate(1024); try { synchronized (lock) { while (!Thread.interrupted()) { sc.read(buf); // ... } } } catch (IOException ie) { // Forward to handler } } public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException, InterruptedException { SocketReader reader = new SocketReader("somehost", 25); Thread thread = new Thread(reader); thread.start(); Thread.sleep(1000); thread.interrupt(); } } {code} This technique interrupts the current thread, however, it only stops the thread because the code polls the interrupted flag using the method {{Thread.interrupted()}}, and shuts down the thread when it is interrupted. Using a {{SocketChannel}} ensures that the condition in the while loop is tested as soon as an interruption is received, despite the read operation being a blocking operation. Similarly, invoking the {{interrupt()}} method of a thread that is blocked because of a {{java.nio.channels.Selector}} also causes that thread to awaken. h2. Noncompliant Code Example (database connection) This noncompliant code example shows a thread-safe class {{DBConnector}} that creates one JDBC connection per thread. Each connection belongs to one thread, and is not shared by other threads. This is a common use-case because JDBC connections are not meant to be shared by multiple-threads. {code:bgColor=#FFcccc} public final class DBConnector implements Runnable { private final String query; DBConnector(String query) { this.query = query; } @Override public void run() { Connection connection; try { // Username and password are hard coded for brevity connection = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:driver:name", "username", "password"); Statement stmt = connection.createStatement(); ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery(query); // ... } catch (SQLException e) { // Forward to handler } // ... } public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException { DBConnector connector = new DBConnector("suitable query"); Thread thread = new Thread(connector); thread.start(); Thread.sleep(5000); thread.interrupt(); } } {code} Unfortunately database connections, like sockets, are not inherently interruptible. Consequently, this design does not permit a client to cancel a task by closing the resource if the corresponding thread is blocked on a long running activity such as a join query. {mc}Not sure what to do with the following text. ~DS : Other than helping thread cancellation, a mechanism to close connections also prevents thread starvation because threads can be allowed to fairly share the limited number of database connections available in the pool. A similar mechanism is required for task cancellation when using socket objects that are local to a method. {mc} h2. Compliant Solution ({{Statement.cancel()}}) This compliant solution uses a {{ThreadLocal}} wrapper around the connection so that a thread that calls {{initialValue()}} obtains a unique connection instance. The advantage of this approach is that a {{cancelStatement()}} method can be provided so that other threads or clients can interrupt a long running query when required. The {{cancelStatement()}} method invokes {{Statement.cancel()}}. {code:bgColor=#ccccff} public final class DBConnector implements Runnable { private final String query; private volatile Statement stmt; DBConnector(String query) { this.query = query; try { stmt = getConnection().createStatement(); } catch (SQLException e) { // Forward to handler } } private static ThreadLocal<Connection> connectionHolder = new ThreadLocal<Connection>() { Connection connection = null; @Override public Connection initialValue() { try { // ... connection = DriverManager.getConnection ("jdbc:driver:name", "username", "password"); } catch (SQLException e) { // Forward to handler } return connection; } }; public Connection getConnection() { return connectionHolder.get(); } public boolean cancelStatement() { // Allows client to cancel statement if(stmt != null) { try { stmt.cancel(); return true; } catch (SQLException e) { // Forward to handler } } return false; } @Override public void run() { try { if(stmt.getConnection() != getConnection()) { throw new IllegalStateException(); } ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery(query); // ... } catch (SQLException e) { // Forward to handler } // ... } public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException { DBConnector connector = new DBConnector("suitable query"); Thread thread = new Thread(connector); thread.start(); Thread.sleep(5000); connector.cancelStatement(); } } {code} The {{Statement.cancel()}} method cancels the query only if the DBMS and driver support abortion. According to the Java API, interface {{Statement}} documentation: \[[API 06|AA. Java References#API 06]\] {quote} By default, only one {{ResultSet}} object per {{Statement}} object can be open at the same time. Therefore, if the reading of one {{ResultSet}} object is interleaved with the reading of another, each must have been generated by different {{Statement}} objects. {quote} This compliant solution ensures that only one {{ResultSet}} is associated with the {{Statement}} belonging to an instance and consequently, only one thread can access the query results. {mc} // Complete code for connecting to DB String userName = "user"; String password = "pass"; String url = "jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/dbname"; Class.forName ("com.mysql.jdbc.Driver").newInstance (); connection = DriverManager.getConnection (url, userName, password); {mc} h2. Risk Assessment Failing to provide facilities for thread shutdown can cause non-responsiveness and denial of service. || Rule || Severity || Likelihood || Remediation Cost || Priority || Level || | CON24- J | low | probable | medium | {color:green}{*}P4{*}{color} | {color:green}{*}L3{*}{color} | h3. Automated Detection TODO h3. Related Vulnerabilities Search for vulnerabilities resulting from the violation of this rule on the [CERT website|https://www.kb.cert.org/vulnotes/bymetric?searchview&query=FIELD+KEYWORDS+contains+CON24-J]. h2. References \[[API 06|AA. Java References#API 06]\] Class Thread, method {{stop}}, interface ExecutorService \[[Darwin 04|AA. Java References#Darwin 04]\] 24.3 Stopping a Thread \[[JDK7 08|AA. Java References#JDK7 08]\] Concurrency Utilities, More information: Java Thread Primitive Deprecation \[[JPL 06|AA. Java References#JPL 06]\] 14.12.1. Don't stop and 23.3.3. Shutdown Strategies \[[JavaThreads 04|AA. Java References#JavaThreads 04]\] 2.4 Two Approaches to Stopping a Thread \[[Goetz 06|AA. Java References#Goetz 06]\] Chapter 7: Cancellation and shutdown ---- [!The CERT Sun Microsystems Secure Coding Standard for Java^button_arrow_left.png!|CON23-J. Address the shortcomings of the Singleton design pattern] [!The CERT Sun Microsystems Secure Coding Standard for Java^button_arrow_up.png!|11. Concurrency (CON)] [!The CERT Sun Microsystems Secure Coding Standard for Java^button_arrow_right.png!|CON25-J. Ensure atomicity when reading and writing 64-bit values] while (!Thread.interrupted() && (string = in.readLine()) != null) { // Blocks until end of stream (null) } } public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException, InterruptedException { SocketReader reader = new SocketReader("somehost", 25); Thread thread = new Thread(reader); thread.start(); Thread.sleep(1000); thread.interrupt(); // Interrupt the thread } } |
Compliant Solution (Close Socket Connection)
This compliant solution terminates the blocking network I/O by closing the socket in the shutdown()
method. The readLine()
method throws a SocketException
when the socket is closed, consequently allowing the thread to proceed. Note that it is impossible to keep the connection alive while simultaneously halting the thread both cleanly and immediately.
Code Block | ||
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| ||
public final class SocketReader implements Runnable {
// Other methods...
public void readData() throws IOException {
String string;
try {
while ((string = in.readLine()) != null) {
// Blocks until end of stream (null)
}
} finally {
shutdown();
}
}
public void shutdown() throws IOException {
socket.close();
}
public static void main(String[] args)
throws IOException, InterruptedException {
SocketReader reader = new SocketReader("somehost", 25);
Thread thread = new Thread(reader);
thread.start();
Thread.sleep(1000);
reader.shutdown();
}
}
|
After the shutdown()
method is called from main()
, the finally
block in readData()
executes and calls shutdown()
again, closing the socket for a second time. However, when the socket has already been closed, this second call does nothing.
When performing asynchronous I/O, a java.nio.channels.Selector
can be unblocked by invoking either its close()
or its wakeup()
method.
When additional operations must be performed after emerging from the blocked state, use a boolean
flag to indicate pending termination. When supplementing the code with such a flag, the shutdown()
method should also set the flag to false so that the thread can cleanly exit from the while
loop.
Compliant Solution (Interruptible Channel)
This compliant solution uses an interruptible channel, java.nio.channels.SocketChannel
, instead of a Socket
connection. If the thread performing the network I/O is interrupted using the Thread.interrupt()
method while it is reading the data, the thread receives a ClosedByInterruptException
, and the channel is closed immediately. The thread's interrupted status is also set.
Code Block | ||
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| ||
public final class SocketReader implements Runnable {
private final SocketChannel sc;
private final Object lock = new Object();
public SocketReader(String host, int port) throws IOException {
sc = SocketChannel.open(new InetSocketAddress(host, port));
}
@Override public void run() {
ByteBuffer buf = ByteBuffer.allocate(1024);
try {
synchronized (lock) {
while (!Thread.interrupted()) {
sc.read(buf);
// ...
}
}
} catch (IOException ie) {
// Forward to handler
}
}
public static void main(String[] args)
throws IOException, InterruptedException {
SocketReader reader = new SocketReader("somehost", 25);
Thread thread = new Thread(reader);
thread.start();
Thread.sleep(1000);
thread.interrupt();
}
}
|
This technique interrupts the current thread. However, it stops the thread only because the code polls the thread's interrupted status with the Thread.interrupted()
method and terminates the thread when it is interrupted. Using a SocketChannel
ensures that the condition in the while
loop is tested as soon as an interruption is received, even though the read is normally a blocking operation. Similarly, invoking the interrupt()
method of a thread blocked on a java.nio.channels.Selector
also causes that thread to awaken.
Noncompliant Code Example (Database Connection)
This noncompliant code example shows a thread-safe DBConnector
class that creates one JDBC connection per thread. Each connection belongs to one thread and is not shared by other threads. This is a common use case because JDBC connections are intended to be single-threaded.
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
public final class DBConnector implements Runnable {
private final String query;
DBConnector(String query) {
this.query = query;
}
@Override public void run() {
Connection connection;
try {
// Username and password are hard coded for brevity
connection = DriverManager.getConnection(
"jdbc:driver:name",
"username",
"password"
);
Statement stmt = connection.createStatement();
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery(query);
// ...
} catch (SQLException e) {
// Forward to handler
}
// ...
}
public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException {
DBConnector connector = new DBConnector("suitable query");
Thread thread = new Thread(connector);
thread.start();
Thread.sleep(5000);
thread.interrupt();
}
}
|
Database connections, like sockets, lack inherent interruptibility. Consequently, this design fails to support the client's attempts to cancel a task by closing the resource when the corresponding thread is blocked on a long-running query, such as a join.
Compliant Solution (Statement.cancel()
)
This compliant solution uses a ThreadLocal
wrapper around the connection so that a thread calling the initialValue()
method obtains a unique connection instance. This approach allows provision of a cancelStatement()
so that other threads or clients can interrupt a long-running query when required. The cancelStatement()
method invokes the Statement.cancel()
method.
Code Block | ||
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| ||
public final class DBConnector implements Runnable {
private final String query;
private volatile Statement stmt;
DBConnector(String query) {
this.query = query;
}
private static final ThreadLocal<Connection> connectionHolder =
new ThreadLocal<Connection>() {
Connection connection = null;
@Override public Connection initialValue() {
try {
// ...
connection = DriverManager.getConnection(
"jdbc:driver:name",
"username",
"password"
);
} catch (SQLException e) {
// Forward to handler
}
return connection;
}
};
public Connection getConnection() {
return connectionHolder.get();
}
public boolean cancelStatement() { // Allows client to cancel statement
Statement tmpStmt = stmt;
if (tmpStmt != null) {
try {
tmpStmt.cancel();
return true;
} catch (SQLException e) {
// Forward to handler
}
}
return false;
}
@Override public void run() {
try {
if (getConnection() != null) {
stmt = getConnection().createStatement();
}
if (stmt == null || (stmt.getConnection() != getConnection())) {
throw new IllegalStateException();
}
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery(query);
// ...
} catch (SQLException e) {
// Forward to handler
}
// ...
}
public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException {
DBConnector connector = new DBConnector("suitable query");
Thread thread = new Thread(connector);
thread.start();
Thread.sleep(5000);
connector.cancelStatement();
}
}
|
The Statement.cancel()
method cancels the query, provided the database management system (DBMS) and driver both support cancellation. It is impossible to cancel the query if either the DBMS or the driver fail to support cancellation.
According to the Java API, Interface Statement
documentation [API 2014]
By default, only one
ResultSet
object perStatement
object can be open at the same time. As a result, if the reading of oneResultSet
object is interleaved with the reading of another, each must have been generated by differentStatement
objects.
This compliant solution ensures that only one ResultSet
is associated with the Statement
belonging to an instance, and, consequently, only one thread can access the query results.
Risk Assessment
Failure to provide facilities for thread termination can cause nonresponsiveness and DoS.
Rule | Severity | Likelihood | Remediation Cost | Priority | Level |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
THI04-J | Low | Probable | Medium | P4 | L3 |
Bibliography
[API 2014] | |
Section 24.3, "Stopping a Thread" | |
Chapter 7, "Cancellation and Shutdown" | |
Section 2.4, "Two Approaches to Stopping a Thread" | |
Java Thread Primitive Deprecation | |
[JPL 2006] | Section 14.12.1, "Don't Stop" |
...