CWE · MITRE source
CWE-911Improper Update of Reference Count
The product uses a reference count to manage a resource, but it does not update or incorrectly updates the reference count.
Reference counts can be used when tracking how many objects contain a reference to a particular resource, such as in memory management or garbage collection. When the reference count reaches zero, the resource can be de-allocated or reused because there are no more objects that use it. If the reference count accidentally reaches zero, then the resource might be released too soon, even though it is still in use. If all objects no longer use the resource, but the reference count is not zero, then the resource might not ever be released.
Last updated: 15 October 2026 14:21 UTC
Control responseHuman-reviewed
Answering this weakness across the control lifecycle, from our framework cross-walks.
NIST 800-53 r5 controls PROPOSED for this weakness (0)AI-assisted
These are model PROPOSALS, not graded mappings. They come
from controls_to_cwe_proposals, which carries no grade field at
all; across the CWE pages 1,540 of 1,722 such associations (89%) have never
been graded by anything. The heading said “address” until
2026-09-29, which asserted a relationship the data does not carry.
Graded cross-walks are on the framework map, not here.
| Control | Title | Family | Why it addresses this CWE |
|---|---|---|---|
| No NIST controls proposed yet. | |||
Top CVEs of this weakness type, ranked by Risk Priority
| CVE | Risk | CVSS | EPSS | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
CVE-2024-43102 UPD | 7.5 | 10.0 | 0.0068 | 2024-09-05 |
CVE-2026-49419 UPD | 6.6 | 8.8 | 0.0047 | 2026-08-19 |
CVE-2026-46316 UPD | 6.3 | 9.3 | 0.0020 | 2026-06-09 |
CVE-2022-37012 UPD | 6.2 | 7.5 | 0.0178 | 2023-03-29 |
CVE-2022-22195 UPD | 6.1 | 7.5 | 0.0106 | 2022-04-14 |
CVE-2026-46099 UPD | 6.1 | 8.1 | 0.0041 | 2026-05-27 |
CVE-2022-29581 UPD | 6.0 | 7.8 | 0.0093 | 2022-05-17 |
CVE-2023-22394 UPD | 5.9 | 7.5 | 0.0062 | 2023-01-13 |
CVE-2023-5633 UPD | 5.7 | 7.8 | 0.0028 | 2023-10-23 |
CVE-2026-52943 UPD | 5.7 | 7.8 | 0.0025 | 2026-06-24 |
CVE-2024-46972 UPD | 5.6 | 7.8 | 0.0017 | 2024-12-28 |
CVE-2021-47327 UPD | 5.3 | 7.1 | 0.0026 | 2024-05-21 |
CVE-2022-1678 UPD | 5.2 | 5.9 | 0.0294 | 2022-05-25 |
CVE-2026-77587 UPD | 4.7 | 5.9 | 0.0040 | 2026-08-20 |
CVE-2026-42534 UPD | 4.6 | 5.3 | 0.0072 | 2026-05-20 |
CVE-2023-2019 UPD | 3.6 | 4.4 | 0.0034 | 2023-04-24 |
CVE-2020-11935 UPD | 3.5 | 4.4 | 0.0020 | 2023-04-07 |
CVE-2024-45783 UPD | 3.5 | 4.4 | 0.0024 | 2025-02-18 |
CVE-2026-19380 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 0.0017 | 2026-08-10 |