Question

Possible Duplicate:
Why is my string potentially unsecure in my iOS application?

New compiler warning since upgrading XCode to 4.6:

Smallest example demonstrating the warning on both of the final lines:

  for (NSUInteger i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
    NSString *res = [testInstance generate:i];
    NSString *desc = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"TestData: %d", i];
    STAssertNotNil(res, desc);
    STAssertNotEquals(@"", res, desc);
  }

I looked at other questions which concern this warning but they stem from programmers unnecessarily using stringWithFormat: – here I want a dynamic assert description which changes per iteration but not per check.

I can pass the format string and data into the Asserts but then I have to maintain the descriptions independently.

How can I avoid this warning if I require the formatting of a description is prior to using it in a log message or assert call?

Answer 1

The problem are the non-literal format strings in the assertions. Change them to:

STAssertNotNil(res, @"%@", desc);
STAssertNotEquals(@"", res, @"%@", desc);

Format strings are a common security issue. When they are not visible to the compiler it cannot check them. In your case they’ve been hidden in desc.