CWE-1314
Missing Write Protection for Parametric Data Values
Draft
2020-12-10
00h00 +00:00
00h00 +00:00
2023-06-29
00h00 +00:00
00h00 +00:00
Notifications for a CWE
Stay informed of any changes for a specific CWE.
Name: Missing Write Protection for Parametric Data Values
The device does not write-protect the parametric data values for sensors that scale the sensor value, allowing untrusted software to manipulate the apparent result and potentially damage hardware or cause operational failure.
CWE Description
Various sensors are used by hardware to detect any devices operating outside of the design limits. The threshold limit values are set by hardware fuses or trusted software such as the BIOS. These limits may be related to thermal, power, voltage, current, and frequency. Hardware mechanisms may be used to protect against alteration of the threshold limit values by untrusted software.
The limit values are generally programmed in standard units for the type of value being read. However, the hardware-sensor blocks may report the settings in different units depending upon sensor design and operation. The raw sensor output value is converted to the desired units using a scale conversion based on the parametric data programmed into the sensor. The final converted value is then compared with the previously programmed limits.
While the limit values are usually protected, the sensor parametric data values may not be. By changing the parametric data, safe operational limits may be bypassed.
General Informations
Modes Of Introduction
Architecture and Design : The lack of a requirement to protect parametric values may contribute to this weakness.Implementation : The lack of parametric value protection may be a cause of this weakness.
Applicable Platforms
Language
Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined)Operating Systems
Class: Not OS-Specific (Undetermined)Architectures
Class: Not Architecture-Specific (Undetermined)Technologies
Name: Sensor Hardware (Undetermined)Common Consequences
| Scope | Impact | Likelihood |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Quality Degradation, DoS: Resource Consumption (Other) Note: Sensor value manipulation, particularly thermal or power, may allow physical damage to occur or disabling of the device by a false fault shutdown causing a Denial-Of-Service. | High |
Observed Examples
| References | Description |
|---|---|
CVE-2017-8252 | Kernel can inject faults in computations during the execution of TrustZone leading to information disclosure in Snapdragon Auto, Snapdragon Compute, Snapdragon Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer Electronics Connectivity, Snapdragon Consumer IOT, Snapdragon Industrial IOT, Snapdragon IoT, Snapdragon Mobile, Snapdragon Voice and Music, Snapdragon Wearables, Snapdragon Wired Infrastructure and Networking. |
Potential Mitigations
Phases : Architecture and DesignAccess controls for sensor blocks should ensure that only trusted software is allowed to change threshold limits and sensor parametric data.
Vulnerability Mapping Notes
Justification : This CWE entry is at the Base level of abstraction, which is a preferred level of abstraction for mapping to the root causes of vulnerabilities.Comment : Carefully read both the name and description to ensure that this mapping is an appropriate fit. Do not try to 'force' a mapping to a lower-level Base/Variant simply to comply with this preferred level of abstraction.
Related Attack Patterns
| CAPEC-ID | Attack Pattern Name |
|---|---|
| CAPEC-1 | Accessing Functionality Not Properly Constrained by ACLs In applications, particularly web applications, access to functionality is mitigated by an authorization framework. This framework maps Access Control Lists (ACLs) to elements of the application's functionality; particularly URL's for web apps. In the case that the administrator failed to specify an ACL for a particular element, an attacker may be able to access it with impunity. An attacker with the ability to access functionality not properly constrained by ACLs can obtain sensitive information and possibly compromise the entire application. Such an attacker can access resources that must be available only to users at a higher privilege level, can access management sections of the application, or can run queries for data that they otherwise not supposed to. |
References
REF-1082
CLKSCREW: Exposing the Perils of Security-Oblivious Energy ManagementAdrian Tang, Simha Sethumadhavan, Salvatore Stolfo.
https://www.usenix.org/system/files/conference/usenixsecurity17/sec17-tang.pdf
Submission
| Name | Organization | Date | Date release | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hareesh Khattri, Parbati K. Manna, and Arun Kanuparthi | Intel Corporation | 4.3 |
Modifications
| Name | Organization | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Applicable_Platforms | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Applicable_Platforms | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Relationships | |
| CWE Content Team | MITRE | updated Mapping_Notes |
The information presented on CVE Find originates from several carefully selected reference sources. CVE data is provided by MITRE Corporation and the National Vulnerability Database (NVD). The Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog is sourced from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), while EPSS scores come from FIRST.org. Additionally, data regarding software weaknesses (CWE) and common attack patterns (CAPEC) is maintained by MITRE Corporation, and information on hardware and software configurations (CPE) is provided by the NVD.