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CWE-597 - Use of Wrong Operator in String Comparison

  • Abstraction:Variant
  • Structure:Simple
  • Status:Draft
  • Release Date:2006-12-15
  • Latest Modification Date:2023-06-29

Weakness Name

Use of Wrong Operator in String Comparison

Description

The product uses the wrong operator when comparing a string, such as using "==" when the .equals() method should be used instead.

In Java, using == or != to compare two strings for equality actually compares two objects for equality rather than their string values for equality. Chances are good that the two references will never be equal. While this weakness often only affects program correctness, if the equality is used for a security decision, the unintended comparison result could be leveraged to affect program security.

Common Consequences

Scope: Other

Impact: Other

Related Weaknesses

CWE-480Use of Incorrect OperatorLow

CWE-595Comparison of Object References Instead of Object Contents