Suspicious Assert Detection
Detection Workflow
- Identify assert operations: Find all assert() calls, locate assertion macros, identify static_assert usage, map assertion patterns
- Analyze assert purpose: Determine assert intent, check if used for security, assess criticality of check, review assert context
- Check for bypass potential: Verify if asserts are disabled, assess release build behavior, check for compile-time flags, review build configuration
- Assess security impact: Can assert be bypassed? What's the security impact? Is critical check disabled? What's the exploit potential?
Key Patterns
- Asserts for security checks: using assert() for input validation, using assert() for security checks, using assert() for authentication, using assert() for authorization
- Asserts that can be disabled: critical checks using assert(), security-critical validations using assert(), resource allocation checks using assert(), bounds checks using assert()
- Asserts with side effects: asserts with function calls, asserts with assignments, asserts modifying state, asserts with non-pure expressions
- Incorrect assert usage: asserts on user-controlled data, asserts that can be bypassed, asserts in release builds, asserts in production code
Output Format
Report with: id, type, subtype, severity, confidence, location, vulnerability, assert_statement, assert_type, check_purpose, disabled_in_release, exploitable, attack_scenario, impact, mitigation.
Severity Guidelines
- HIGH: Assert used for critical security checks
- MEDIUM: Assert used for important validation
- LOW: Assert used for debugging only
See Also
patterns.md - Detailed detection patterns and exploitation scenariosexamples.md - Example analysis cases and code samplesreferences.md - CWE references and mitigation strategies
1---2name: detecting-suspicious-assert3description: Detects suspicious use of assertions for security checks that can be disabled in production builds. Use when analyzing assertion usage, security checks, or investigating assert-related vulnerabilities.4---5
6# Suspicious Assert Detection
7
8## Detection Workflow
9
101. **Identify assert operations**: Find all assert() calls, locate assertion macros, identify static_assert usage, map assertion patterns
112. **Analyze assert purpose**: Determine assert intent, check if used for security, assess criticality of check, review assert context
123. **Check for bypass potential**: Verify if asserts are disabled, assess release build behavior, check for compile-time flags, review build configuration
134. **Assess security impact**: Can assert be bypassed? What's the security impact? Is critical check disabled? What's the exploit potential?
14
15## Key Patterns
16
17- Asserts for security checks: using assert() for input validation, using assert() for security checks, using assert() for authentication, using assert() for authorization
18- Asserts that can be disabled: critical checks using assert(), security-critical validations using assert(), resource allocation checks using assert(), bounds checks using assert()
19- Asserts with side effects: asserts with function calls, asserts with assignments, asserts modifying state, asserts with non-pure expressions
20- Incorrect assert usage: asserts on user-controlled data, asserts that can be bypassed, asserts in release builds, asserts in production code
21
22## Output Format
23
24Report with: id, type, subtype, severity, confidence, location, vulnerability, assert_statement, assert_type, check_purpose, disabled_in_release, exploitable, attack_scenario, impact, mitigation.
25
26## Severity Guidelines
27
28- **HIGH**: Assert used for critical security checks
29- **MEDIUM**: Assert used for important validation
30- **LOW**: Assert used for debugging only
31
32## See Also
33
34- `patterns.md` - Detailed detection patterns and exploitation scenarios
35- `examples.md` - Example analysis cases and code samples
36- `references.md` - CWE references and mitigation strategies
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