{"@ID": "1025", "@Name": "Comparison Using Wrong Factors", "@Abstraction": "Base", "@Structure": "Simple", "@Status": "Incomplete", "Description": "The code performs a comparison between two entities, but the comparison examines the wrong factors or characteristics of the entities, which can lead to incorrect results and resultant weaknesses.", "Related_Weaknesses": {"Related_Weakness": {"@Nature": "ChildOf", "@CWE_ID": "697", "@View_ID": "1000", "@Ordinal": "Primary"}}, "Weakness_Ordinalities": {"Weakness_Ordinality": {"Ordinality": "Primary"}}, "Applicable_Platforms": {"Language": {"@Class": "Not Language-Specific", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}}, "Modes_Of_Introduction": {"Introduction": {"Phase": "Implementation"}}, "Common_Consequences": {"Consequence": {"Scope": "Other", "Impact": "Varies by Context", "Note": "This can lead to incorrect results and resultant\n\t       weaknesses.  For example, the code might inadvertently\n\t       compare references to objects, instead of the relevant\n\t       contents of those objects, causing two \"equal\" objects\n\t       to be considered unequal."}}, "Detection_Methods": {"Detection_Method": {"Method": "Manual Static Analysis", "Description": "Thoroughly test the comparison scheme before deploying code into production. Perform positive testing as well as negative testing."}}, "Demonstrative_Examples": {"Demonstrative_Example": {"@Demonstrative_Example_ID": "DX-60", "Intro_Text": "In the example below, two Java String objects are declared and initialized with the same string values. An if statement is used to determine if the strings are equivalent.", "Example_Code": [{"@Nature": "Bad", "@Language": "Java", "xhtml:div": {"xhtml:br": [null, null], "xhtml:div": {"@style": "margin-left:1em;", "#text": "System.out.println(\"str1 == str2\");"}, "#text": "String str1 = new String(\"Hello\");String str2 = new String(\"Hello\");if (str1 == str2) {}"}}, {"@Nature": "Good", "@Language": "Java", "xhtml:div": {"xhtml:div": {"@style": "margin-left:1em;", "#text": "System.out.println(\"str1 equals str2\");"}, "#text": "if (str1.equals(str2)) {}"}}], "Body_Text": "However, the if statement will not be executed as the strings are compared using the \"==\" operator. For Java objects, such as String objects, the \"==\" operator compares object references, not object values. While the two String objects above contain the same string values, they refer to different object references, so the System.out.println statement will not be executed. To compare object values, the previous code could be modified to use the equals method:"}}, "Mapping_Notes": {"Usage": "Allowed", "Rationale": "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.", "Comments": "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.", "Reasons": {"Reason": {"@Type": "Acceptable-Use"}}}, "Content_History": {"Submission": {"Submission_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Submission_Organization": "MITRE", "Submission_Date": "2018-01-04", "Submission_Version": "3.1", "Submission_ReleaseDate": "2018-03-29"}, "Modification": [{"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2020-02-24", "Modification_Version": "4.0", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2020-02-24", "Modification_Comment": "updated Description, Relationships"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2021-03-15", "Modification_Version": "4.4", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2021-03-15", "Modification_Comment": "updated Demonstrative_Examples"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2023-04-27", "Modification_Version": "4.11", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2023-04-27", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2023-06-29", "Modification_Version": "4.12", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2023-06-29", "Modification_Comment": "updated Mapping_Notes"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2025-04-03", "Modification_Version": "4.17", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2025-04-03", "Modification_Comment": "updated Demonstrative_Examples"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2025-12-11", "Modification_Version": "4.19", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2025-12-11", "Modification_Comment": "updated Common_Consequences, Description"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2026-04-30", "Modification_Version": "4.20", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2026-04-30", "Modification_Comment": "updated Detection_Factors, Potential_Mitigations"}]}}