CWE-484
Omitted Break Statement in Switch
AI Translation Available
The product omits a break statement within a switch or similar construct, causing code associated with multiple conditions to execute. This can cause problems when the programmer only intended to execute code associated with one condition.
Status
draft
Abstraction
base
Likelihood
medium
Affected Platforms
C
C#
C++
Java
Not Language-Specific
PHP
Extended Description
AI Translation
This can lead to critical code executing in situations where it should not.
Technical Details
AI Translation
Common Consequences
other
Impacts
alter execution logic
Detection Methods
white box
black box
automated static analysis
Potential Mitigations
Phases:
implementation
Descriptions:
•
Omitting a break statement so that one may fall through is often indistinguishable from an error, and therefore should be avoided. If you need to use fall-through capabilities, make sure that you have clearly documented this within the switch statement, and ensure that you have examined all the logical possibilities.
•
The functionality of omitting a break statement could be clarified with an if statement. This method is much safer.