Concurrency related issues manifest themselves when assumptions are made about the multithreaded behavior of derived classes. An overridden synchronized method's contract may be violated if a subclass defines an implementation that is not safe for concurrent access. 

{mc}
// This line is not necessary because thread-safe implies all kinds of synchronization
Furthermore, if an overridden method makes concurrency guarantees, even if it is not itself synchronized, the subclass must adhere to those guarantees.
{mc}

The guideline [CON04-J. Synchronize using an internal private final lock object] recommends documenting the locking strategy in use for classes designed for inheritance. This information is useful when deciding the locking strategy of subclasses. 

h2. Noncompliant Code Example (synchronized method)

This noncompliant code example defines a {{synchronized}} {{doSomething()}} method in class {{Base}}. 

{code:bgColor=#FFCCCC}
class Base {
  public synchronized void doSomething() {
    // ...	
  }
}

class Derived extends Base {
  public void doSomething() {
    // ...		
  }
}
{code}

The {{doSomething()}} method of class {{Base}} can be safely used by multiple threads. However, if a subclass {{Derived}} overrides the method but leaves it unsynchronized, its instance cannot be safely used by multiple threads. 

This problem is hard to notice because threads that accept instances of {{Base}} also accept instances of its subclasses. Consequently, the threads may incorrectly assume that the subclasses are thread-safe.


h2. Compliant Solution (synchronized method)

This compliant solution synchronizes the {{doSomething()}} method of the subclass. 

{code:bgColor=#ccccff}
class Base {
  public synchronized void doSomething() {
    // ...	
  }
}

class Derived extends Base {
  public synchronized void doSomething() {
    // ...		
  }
}
{code}

This compliant solution does not violate [CON04-J. Synchronize using an internal private final lock object] because the accessibility of the class is package-private which is allowable when untrusted code cannot infiltrate the package.


h2. Noncompliant Code Example (private lock)

This noncompliant code example defines a {{doSomething()}} method in class {{Base}} that uses an internal private lock, in accordance with [CON04-J. Synchronize using an internal private final lock object].

{code:bgColor=#FFCCCC}
public class Base {
  private final Object lock = new Object();

  public void doSomething() {
    synchronized (lock) {
      // ...	
    }
  }
}

class Derived extends Base {
  public void doSomething() {
    try {
      super.doSomething();
    } finally {
      logger.log(Level.FINE, "Did something"); 
    }
  }
}
{code}

The {{doSomething()}} method of class {{Derived}} cannot be safely used by multiple threads because it is not thread-safe. It is possible that multiple threads may cause the entries to be logged in an order different than the one in which the tasks are performed.

h2. Compliant Solution (private lock)

This compliant solution synchronizes the {{doSomething()}} method of the subclass. 

{code:bgColor=#ccccff}
public class Base {
  private final Object lock = new Object();

  public void doSomething() {
    synchronized (lock) {
      // ...	
    }
  }
}

class Derived extends Base {
  private final Object lock = new Object();

  public void doSomething() {
    synchronized (lock) {
      try {
        super.doSomething();
      } finally {
        logger.log(Level.FINE, "Did something"); 
      }
    }
  }
}
{code}

Note that the {{Base.lock}} and {{Derived.lock}} objects are distinct and inaccessible from each others' classes. Consequently, {{Derived}} can provide thread-safety guarantees independent of {{Base}}.


h2. Risk Assessment

Overriding thread-safe methods with methods that are not thread-safe can result in unexpected behavior.

|| Rule || Severity || Likelihood || Remediation Cost || Priority || Level ||
| CON10- J | low | probable | medium | {color:green}{*}P4{*}{color} | {color:green}{*}L3{*}{color} |

h3. Automated Detection

TODO

h3. Related Vulnerabilities

Search for vulnerabilities resulting from the violation of this rule on the [CERT website|https://www.kb.cert.org/vulnotes/bymetric?searchview&query=FIELD+KEYWORDS+contains+CON06-J].

h2. References

\[[API 06|AA. Java References#API 06]\]
\[[SDN 08|AA. Java References#SDN 08]\] Sun bug database, [Bug ID 4294756|http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=4294756]

----
[!The CERT Sun Microsystems Secure Coding Standard for Java^button_arrow_left.png!|VOID CON09-J. Do not invoke alien methods that rely on invariants protected by the same lock object]      [!The CERT Sun Microsystems Secure Coding Standard for Java^button_arrow_up.png!|11. Concurrency (CON)]      [!The CERT Sun Microsystems Secure Coding Standard for Java^button_arrow_right.png!|CON11-J. Do not assume that declaring an object volatile guarantees visibility of its members]