Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions
The product does not handle or incorrectly handles an exceptional condition.
When exceptional conditions are not properly handled, the product may enter an undefined state, crash, or expose sensitive information. This can lead to denial of service, information disclosure, or unexpected behavior.
How to fix this vulnerability
Prevention strategies for Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions based on 4 Shoulder detection rules.
Always check error return values before using other results
result, err := process() - if result == nil { - return + if err != nil { + return fmt.Errorf("process failed: %w", err) } useResult(result)
Use finally blocks to release resources (connections, file handles) on all code paths
- const connection = await pool.getConnection(); - const result = await connection.query(sql); - connection.release(); - return result; + let connection; + try { + connection = await pool.getConnection(); + const result = await connection.query(sql); + return result; + } finally { + if (connection) await connection.release(); + }
Return error responses when security checks fail instead of continuing execution
- from flask import request - - @app.route('/api/admin') - def admin_data(): - try: - user = authenticate(request.headers.get('Authorization')) - except Exception: - pass # Auth failed but continues + from flask import request, abort + + @app.route('/api/admin') + def admin_data(): + try: + user = authenticate(request.headers.get('Authorization')) + except Exception: + abort(403) return {'admin_data': get_sensitive_data()}
Wrap database, file, network, and API operations in try/except with proper logging
- import requests - - def fetch_data(url): - response = requests.get(url) - return response.json() + import logging + import requests + + logger = logging.getLogger(__name__) + + def fetch_data(url): + try: + response = requests.get(url, timeout=5) + response.raise_for_status() + return response.json() + except requests.RequestException as e: + logger.error(f"Request failed: {e}") + return None
Find vulnerabilities in your code
Use Shoulder to scan your codebase for Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions patterns. 4 rules.
# Scan with Shoulder CLI npx @shoulderdev/cli trust --cwe=755 # Or scan entire project npx @shoulderdev/cli trust .
Detection Rules (4)
What to watch for in code reviews
These patterns indicate potential Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions vulnerabilities. Look for these during code reviews and security audits.
Scan your codebase for Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions
Shoulder CLI finds vulnerable patterns across your entire codebase.