CERT C: Rule WIN30-C

Properly pair allocation and deallocation functions

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Description

Rule Definition

Properly pair allocation and deallocation functions.¹

Polyspace Implementation

The rule checker checks for Mismatched alloc/dealloc functions on Windows.

Examples

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Mismatched alloc/dealloc functions on Windows

Issue

Mismatched alloc/dealloc functions on Windows occurs when you use a Windows^® deallocation function that is not properly paired to its corresponding allocation function.

Risk

Deallocating memory with a function that does not match the allocation function can cause memory corruption or undefined behavior. If you are using an older version of Windows, the improper function can also cause compatibility issues with newer versions.

Fix

Properly pair your allocation and deallocation functions according to the functions listed in this table.

Allocation Function	Deallocation Function
`malloc()`	`free()`
`realloc()`	`free()`
`calloc()`	`free()`
`_aligned_malloc()`	`_aligned_free()`
`_aligned_offset_malloc()`	`_aligned_free()`
`_aligned_realloc()`	`_aligned_free()`
`_aligned_offset_realloc()`	`_aligned_free()`
`_aligned_recalloc()`	`_aligned_free()`
`_aligned_offset_recalloc()`	`_aligned_free()`
`_malloca()`	`_freea()`
`LocalAlloc()`	`LocalFree()`
`LocalReAlloc()`	`LocalFree()`
`GlobalAlloc()`	`GlobalFree()`
`GlobalReAlloc()`	`GlobalFree()`
`VirtualAlloc()`	`VirtualFree()`
`VirtualAllocEx()`	`VirtualFreeEx()`
`VirtualAllocExNuma()`	`VirtualFreeEx()`
`HeapAlloc()`	`HeapFree()`
`HeapReAlloc()`	`HeapFree()`

Example - Memory Deallocated with Incorrect Function

#ifdef _WIN32_
#include <windows.h>
#else
#define _WIN32_
typedef void *HANDLE;
typedef HANDLE HGLOBAL;
typedef HANDLE HLOCAL;
typedef unsigned int UINT;
extern HLOCAL LocalAlloc(UINT uFlags, UINT uBytes);
extern HLOCAL LocalFree(HLOCAL hMem);
extern HGLOBAL GlobalFree(HGLOBAL hMem);
#endif

#define SIZE9 9


void func(void)
{
	/* Memory allocation */
    HLOCAL p = LocalAlloc(0x0000, SIZE9);
	
    if (p) {
		/* Memory deallocation. */
        GlobalFree(p); //Noncompliant
		
    }
}

In this example, memory is allocated with LocallAlloc(). The program then erroneously uses GlobalFree() to deallocate the memory.

Correction — Properly Pair Windows Allocation and Deallocation Functions

When you allocate memory with LocalAllocate(), use LocalFree() to deallocate the memory.

#ifdef _WIN32_
#include <windows.h>
#else
#define _WIN32_
typedef void *HANDLE;
typedef HANDLE HGLOBAL;
typedef HANDLE HLOCAL;
typedef unsigned int UINT;
extern HLOCAL LocalAlloc(UINT uFlags, UINT uBytes);
extern HLOCAL LocalFree(HLOCAL hMem);
extern HGLOBAL GlobalFree(HGLOBAL hMem);
#endif

#define SIZE9 9
void func(void)
{
	/* Memory allocation */
    HLOCAL p = LocalAlloc(0x0000, SIZE9);
    if (p) {
		/* Memory deallocation. */
        LocalFree(p);  
    }
}

Check Information

Group: Rule 51. Microsoft Windows (WIN)

Version History

Introduced in R2019a

¹ This software has been created by MathWorks incorporating portions of: the “SEI CERT-C Website,” © 2017 Carnegie Mellon University, the SEI CERT-C++ Web site © 2017 Carnegie Mellon University, ”SEI CERT C Coding Standard – Rules for Developing safe, Reliable and Secure systems – 2016 Edition,” © 2016 Carnegie Mellon University, and “SEI CERT C++ Coding Standard – Rules for Developing safe, Reliable and Secure systems in C++ – 2016 Edition” © 2016 Carnegie Mellon University, with special permission from its Software Engineering Institute.

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