CWE-1069 Variant Incomplete

Empty Exception Block

This weakness occurs when a try-catch or try-finally block is present but contains no code to handle the caught exception or perform cleanup.

Definition

What is CWE-1069?

This weakness occurs when a try-catch or try-finally block is present but contains no code to handle the caught exception or perform cleanup.

Empty exception blocks silently swallow errors, making debugging extremely difficult. The program appears to run normally, but underlying failures—like a failed database connection or a corrupted file read—go unreported, leading to unpredictable behavior and corrupted data states. From a security perspective, this reliability flaw can become a vulnerability if an attacker can trigger the exception. By suppressing critical error messages, empty catch blocks can hide the symptoms of an ongoing attack, such as authentication bypass attempts or injection attacks, allowing malicious activity to continue undetected.

Real-world impact

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-1069

No public CVE references are linked to this CWE in MITRE's catalog yet.

How attackers exploit it

Step-by-step attacker path

1
In the following Java example, the code catches an ArithmeticException.
2
Since the exception block is empty, no action is taken.
3
In the code below the exception has been logged and the bad execution has been handled in the desired way allowing the program to continue in an expected way.

Vulnerable code example

Vulnerable Java

In the following Java example, the code catches an ArithmeticException.

Vulnerable Java

public class Main {
  	public static void main(String[] args) { 
  		int a = 1; 
  		int b = 0; 
  		int c = 0;
  		try { 
  			c = a / b;
  		} catch(ArithmeticException ae) { 
  		}
  	}
  }

Secure code example

Secure Java

In the code below the exception has been logged and the bad execution has been handled in the desired way allowing the program to continue in an expected way.

Secure Java

public class Main {
  	public static void main(String[] args) { 
  		int a = 1; 
  		int b = 0; 
  		int c = 0;
  		try { 
  			c = a / b;
  		} catch(ArithmeticException ae) { 
  			log.error("Divided by zero detected, setting to -1."); 
  			c = -1;
  		}
  	}
  }

What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.

Prevention checklist

How to prevent CWE-1069

Implementation For every exception block add code that handles the specific exception in the way intended by the application.

Detection signals

How to detect CWE-1069

SAST High

Run static analysis (SAST) on the codebase looking for the unsafe pattern in the data flow.

DAST Moderate

Run dynamic application security testing against the live endpoint.

Runtime Moderate

Watch runtime logs for unusual exception traces, malformed input, or authorization bypass attempts.

Code review Moderate

Code review: flag any new code that handles input from this surface without using the validated framework helpers.

Plexicus auto-fix

Plexicus auto-detects CWE-1069 and opens a fix PR in under 60 seconds.

Codex Remedium scans every commit, identifies this exact weakness, and ships a reviewer-ready pull request with the patch. No tickets. No hand-offs.

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Frequently asked questions

What is CWE-1069?

This weakness occurs when a try-catch or try-finally block is present but contains no code to handle the caught exception or perform cleanup.

How serious is CWE-1069?

MITRE has not published a likelihood-of-exploit rating for this weakness. Treat it as medium-impact until your threat model proves otherwise.

What languages or platforms are affected by CWE-1069?

MITRE has not specified affected platforms for this CWE — it can apply across most application stacks.

How can I prevent CWE-1069?

For every exception block add code that handles the specific exception in the way intended by the application.

How does Plexicus detect and fix CWE-1069?

Plexicus's SAST engine matches the data-flow signature for CWE-1069 on every commit. When a match is found, our Codex Remedium agent opens a fix PR with the corrected code, tests, and a one-line summary for the reviewer.

Where can I learn more about CWE-1069?

MITRE publishes the canonical definition at https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/1069.html. You can also reference OWASP and NIST documentation for adjacent guidance.

Related weaknesses

Weaknesses related to CWE-1069

CWE-1071 Parent

Empty Code Block

An empty code block occurs when a section of source code, such as a conditional statement or function body, contains no executable…

CWE-585 Sibling

Empty Synchronized Block

An empty synchronized block is a Java code construct where a synchronized block exists but contains no executable statements inside it.

Resources

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