CWE-244
Improper Clearing of Heap Memory Before Release ('Heap Inspection')
VariantDraft
Description
Using realloc() to resize buffers that store sensitive information can leave the sensitive information exposed to attack, because it is not removed from memory.
When sensitive data such as a password or an encryption key is not removed from memory, it could be exposed to an attacker using a "heap inspection" attack that reads the sensitive data using memory dumps or other methods. The realloc() function is commonly used to increase the size of a block of allocated memory. This operation often requires copying the contents of the old memory block into a new and larger block. This operation leaves the contents of the original block intact but inaccessible to the program, preventing the program from being able to scrub sensitive data from memory. If an attacker can later examine the contents of a memory dump, the sensitive data could be exposed.
Hierarchy (View 1000)
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CVEs mapped to this weakness (3)
| CVE | Sev | Risk | CVSS | EPSS | KEV | Published | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-20039 | Hig | 0.56 | 8.6 | 0.00 | Mar 4, 2026 | A vulnerability in the VPN web server of Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) Software and Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) Software could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to ineffective memory management of the VPN web server. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a large number of crafted HTTP requests to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the device to reload, resulting in a DoS condition. | |
| CVE-2025-70873 | Hig | 0.49 | 7.5 | 0.00 | Mar 12, 2026 | An information disclosure issue in the zipfileInflate function in the zipfile extension in SQLite v3.51.1 and earlier allows attackers to obtain heap memory via supplying a crafted ZIP file. | |
| CVE-2025-5105 | Hig | 0.47 | 7.3 | 0.00 | May 23, 2025 | A vulnerability was found in TOZED ZLT W51 up to 1.4.2 and classified as critical. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality of the component Service Port 7777. The manipulation leads to improper clearing of heap memory before release. The attack may be launched remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The vendor was contacted early about this disclosure but did not respond in any way. |