Weakness · High
CWE-1234: Hardware Internal or Debug Modes Allow Override of Locks
What it is
System configuration protection may be bypassed during debug mode.
- Severity (our rating)
- High
- Likelihood of exploit
- Not rated by MITRE
- Introduced during
- Architecture and Design, Implementation
- Exploited in the wild
- No CVE in CISA's catalog
In more detail
Device configuration controls are commonly programmed after a device power reset by a trusted firmware or software module (e.g., BIOS/bootloader) and then locked from any further modification. This is commonly implemented using a trusted lock bit, which when set, disables writes to a protected set of registers or address regions. The lock protection is intended to prevent modification of certain system configuration (e.g., memory/memory protection unit configuration). If debug features supported by hardware or internal modes/system states are supported in the hardware design, modification of the lock protection may be allowed allowing access and modification of configuration information.
What an attacker can do
- Bypass Protection Mechanism (Access Control)
How to prevent it
Architecture and Design
- Security Lock bit protections should be reviewed for any bypass/override modes supported. Any supported override modes either should be removed or protected using authenticated debug modes. Security lock programming flow and lock properties should be tested in pre-silicon and post-silicon testing.
H2 Security
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Start freeSource: MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration, CWE version 4.19.1. CWE is a trademark of The MITRE Corporation.