Common Weakness Enumeration

CWE-619

Weakness Allowed

Dangling Database Cursor

Abstraction: Base · Status: Incomplete

API response cwe.mitre.org

The product does not close a database cursor properly, leaving the cursor "dangling."

Mapping guidance

This CWE entry is at the Base level of abstraction, which is a preferred level of abstraction for mapping to the root causes of vulnerabilities.

Carefully read both the name and description to ensure that this mapping is an appropriate fit. Do not try to 'force' a mapping to a lower-level Base/Variant simply to comply with this preferred level of abstraction.

Relationships and members
ChildOf: CWE-402 · View CWE-1000
Modes of introduction
Implementation

This issue is currently reported for unhandled exceptions, but it is theoretically possible any time the programmer does not close the cursor at the proper time.

Detection methods

Automated Static Analysis

Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.)

Content history
Submission: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2007-05-07 · CWE Draft 6
Modification: Eric Dalci · Cigital · 2008-07-01 · CWE 1.0

updated Time_of_Introduction

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2008-09-08 · CWE 1.0

updated Relationships, Other_Notes

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2008-10-14 · CWE 1.0.1

updated Background_Details, Description, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2009-05-27 · CWE 1.4

updated Name

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2009-10-29 · CWE 1.6

updated Modes_of_Introduction, Other_Notes, Weakness_Ordinalities

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2011-06-01 · CWE 1.13

updated Common_Consequences

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2012-05-11 · CWE 2.2

updated Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2012-10-30 · CWE 2.3

updated Potential_Mitigations

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2014-07-30 · CWE 2.8

updated Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2017-11-08 · CWE 3.0

updated Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2020-02-24 · CWE 4.0

updated Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2023-04-27 · CWE 4.11

updated References, Relationships

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2023-06-29 · CWE 4.12

updated Mapping_Notes

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2025-04-03 · CWE 4.17

updated Applicable_Platforms

Modification: CWE Content Team · MITRE · 2026-10-28 · CWE 5.0

updated Alternate_Terms, Common_Consequences, Description, Detection_Factors, Name, Weakness_Ordinalities

0 vulnerabilities reference this CWE, most recent first.

No vulnerabilities reference this CWE.

Mitigation
Implementation

Close cursors immediately after access to them is complete. Ensure that you close cursors if exceptions occur.

No CAPEC attack patterns related to this CWE.

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