CWE-920 Detail

CWE-920

Improper Restriction of Power Consumption
Incomplete
2013-07-17
00h00 +00:00
2023-06-29
00h00 +00:00
Notifications for a CWE
Stay informed of any changes for a specific CWE.
Notifications manage

Name: Improper Restriction of Power Consumption

The product operates in an environment in which power is a limited resource that cannot be automatically replenished, but the product does not properly restrict the amount of power that its operation consumes.

CWE Description

In environments such as embedded or mobile devices, power can be a limited resource such as a battery, which cannot be automatically replenished by the product itself, and the device might not always be directly attached to a reliable power source. If the product uses too much power too quickly, then this could cause the device (and subsequently, the product) to stop functioning until power is restored, or increase the financial burden on the device owner because of increased power costs.

Normal operation of an application will consume power. However, in some cases, an attacker could cause the application to consume more power than intended, using components such as:

  • Display
  • CPU
  • Disk I/O
  • GPS
  • Sound
  • Microphone
  • USB interface

General Informations

Modes Of Introduction

Architecture and Design

Applicable Platforms

Language

Class: Not Language-Specific (Undetermined)

Technologies

Class: Mobile (Undetermined)

Common Consequences

Scope Impact Likelihood
AvailabilityDoS: Resource Consumption (Other), DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart

Note: The power source could be drained, causing the application - and the entire device - to cease functioning.

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.

Submission

Name Organization Date Date release Version
CWE Content Team MITRE 2013-06-11 +00:00 2013-07-17 +00:00 2.5

Modifications

Name Organization Date Comment
CWE Content Team MITRE 2019-06-20 +00:00 updated Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2020-02-24 +00:00 updated Applicable_Platforms, Relationships
CWE Content Team MITRE 2023-01-31 +00:00 updated Description
CWE Content Team MITRE 2023-04-27 +00:00 updated Relationships, Taxonomy_Mappings
CWE Content Team MITRE 2023-06-29 +00:00 updated Mapping_Notes