Improper Translation of Security Attributes by Fabric Bridge

Hardware systems often integrate components that use different communication protocols (like AHB, AXI, or OCP), requiring bridges to translate between them. These protocols use dedicated signals (such as HPROT, AxPROT, or MReqInfo) to carry critical security metadata—including the initiating controller's hardware identity, privilege level, and transaction type. The bridge must accurately preserve this security context during conversion. When the bridge misinterprets or incorrectly maps these security attributes, it can fundamentally alter a transaction's trust level. An untrusted initiator might be incorrectly labeled as trusted, or vice versa, leading to severe consequences like privilege escalation, access control bypass, or denial of service by allowing unauthorized access to protected system resources.