CWE-467
Use of sizeof() on a Pointer Type
Description
The code calls sizeof() on a pointer type, which can be an incorrect calculation if the programmer intended to determine the size of the data that is being pointed to.
The use of sizeof() on a pointer can sometimes generate useful information. An obvious case is to find out the wordsize on a platform. More often than not, the appearance of sizeof(pointer) indicates a bug.
Parent Weaknesses (ChildOf)
Common Consequences
Scope
Impact
Modify Memory, Read Memory
Potential Mitigations
Use expressions such as "sizeof(*pointer)" instead of "sizeof(pointer)", unless you intend to run sizeof() on a pointer type to gain some platform independence or if you are allocating a variable on the stack.
Applicable Platforms
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