CWE-1256 Base Stable

Improper Restriction of Software Interfaces to Hardware Features

This vulnerability occurs when a system's software interfaces to hardware features—like power, clock, or performance management—are not properly locked down. This allows attackers to misuse these…

Definition

What is CWE-1256?

This vulnerability occurs when a system's software interfaces to hardware features—like power, clock, or performance management—are not properly locked down. This allows attackers to misuse these interfaces from software to tamper with hardware memory or registers, or to gather sensitive data by observing physical side effects, without needing physical access to the device.
Many developers assume that attacks like fault injection or side-channel analysis require an attacker to physically touch the device. This assumption breaks down when software can directly control hardware features like voltage, clock speed, or power meters. Attackers can exploit these poorly restricted interfaces from a standard application to deliberately cause bit errors (faults) or to measure power consumption patterns, leading to privilege escalation, authentication bypass, or cryptographic key extraction. Common examples include abusing dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) to induce faults, using hardware power meters (e.g., Intel RAPL) for side-channel analysis, or triggering Rowhammer-style bit flips via rapid memory accesses. Managing this at scale is difficult; an ASPM like Plexicus can help you track and remediate these hardware-interface flaws across your entire stack, correlating code patterns with potential runtime exploitation.
Auswirkungen in der Praxis

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-1256

  • CVE-2019-11157

    Plundervolt: Improper conditions check in voltage settings for some Intel(R) Processors may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege and/or information disclosure via local access [REF-1081].

  • CVE-2020-8694

    PLATYPUS Attack: Insufficient access control in the Linux kernel driver for some Intel processors allows information disclosure.

  • CVE-2020-8695

    Observable discrepancy in the RAPL interface for some Intel processors allows information disclosure.

  • CVE-2020-12912

    AMD extension to a Linux service does not require privileged access to the RAPL interface, allowing side-channel attacks.

  • CVE-2015-0565

    NaCl in 2015 allowed the CLFLUSH instruction, making Rowhammer attacks possible.

Wie Angreifer es ausnutzen

Angreiferpfad Schritt für Schritt

  1. 1

    This example considers the Rowhammer problem [REF-1083]. The Rowhammer issue was caused by a program in a tight loop writing repeatedly to a location to which the program was allowed to write but causing an adjacent memory location value to change.

  2. 2

    Preventing the loop required to defeat the Rowhammer exploit is not always possible:

  3. 3

    While the redesign may be possible for new devices, a redesign is not possible in existing devices. There is also the possibility that reducing capacitance with a relayout would impact the density of the device resulting in a less capable, more costly device.

  4. 4

    Suppose a hardware design implements a set of software-accessible registers for scaling clock frequency and voltage but does not control access to these registers. Attackers may cause register and memory changes and race conditions by changing the clock or voltage of the device under their control.

  5. 5

    Consider the following SoC design. Security-critical settings for scaling clock frequency and voltage are available in a range of registers bounded by [PRIV_END_ADDR : PRIV_START_ADDR] in the tmcu.csr module in the HW Root of Trust. These values are writable based on the lock_bit register in the same module. The lock_bit is only writable by privileged software running on the tmcu.

Verwundbares Codebeispiel

Vulnerable Other

This example considers the Rowhammer problem [REF-1083]. The Rowhammer issue was caused by a program in a tight loop writing repeatedly to a location to which the program was allowed to write but causing an adjacent memory location value to change.

Verwundbar Other 
Continuously writing the same value to the same address causes the value of an adjacent location to change value.
Sicheres Codebeispiel

Secure Other

Preventing the loop required to defeat the Rowhammer exploit is not always possible:

Sicher Other 
Redesign the RAM devices to reduce inter capacitive coupling making the Rowhammer exploit impossible.
What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.
Präventions-Checkliste

How to prevent CWE-1256

  • Architecture and Design / Implementation Ensure proper access control mechanisms protect software-controllable features altering physical operating conditions such as clock frequency and voltage.
Erkennungssignale

How to detect CWE-1256

Manual Analysis

Perform a security evaluation of system-level architecture and design with software-aided physical attacks in scope.

Automated Dynamic Analysis Moderate

Use custom software to change registers that control clock settings or power settings to try to bypass security locks, or repeatedly write DRAM to try to change adjacent locations. This can be effective in extracting or changing data. The drawback is that it cannot be run before manufacturing, and it may require specialized software.

Plexicus Auto-Fix

Plexicus erkennt CWE-1256 automatisch und öffnet in unter 60 Sekunden einen Fix-PR.

Codex Remedium scannt jeden Commit, identifiziert genau diese Schwachstelle und liefert einen reviewer-ready Pull Request mit dem Patch. Keine Tickets. Keine Hand-offs.

Demo anfordern Plexicus kostenlos testen
Häufig gestellte Fragen

Frequently asked questions

Was ist CWE-1256?

This vulnerability occurs when a system's software interfaces to hardware features—like power, clock, or performance management—are not properly locked down. This allows attackers to misuse these interfaces from software to tamper with hardware memory or registers, or to gather sensitive data by observing physical side effects, without needing physical access to the device.

Wie gravierend ist CWE-1256?

MITRE hat für diese Schwachstelle keine Exploit-Wahrscheinlichkeit veröffentlicht. Behandle sie als mittlere Auswirkung, bis dein Threat Model anderes belegt.

Welche Sprachen oder Plattformen sind von CWE-1256 betroffen?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: Not OS-Specific, Not Architecture-Specific, Not Technology-Specific, Memory Hardware, Power Management Hardware, Clock/Counter Hardware.

Wie kann ich CWE-1256 verhindern?

Ensure proper access control mechanisms protect software-controllable features altering physical operating conditions such as clock frequency and voltage.

Wie erkennt und behebt Plexicus CWE-1256?

Die SAST-Engine von Plexicus erkennt die Datenfluss-Signatur von CWE-1256 bei jedem Commit. Bei einem Treffer öffnet unser Codex-Remedium-Agent einen Fix-PR mit korrigiertem Code, Tests und einer einzeiligen Zusammenfassung für den Reviewer.

Wo erfahre ich mehr über CWE-1256?

MITRE veröffentlicht die kanonische Definition unter https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/1256.html. Für ergänzende Hinweise kannst du auch die OWASP- und NIST-Dokumentation heranziehen.

Verwandte Schwachstellen

Weaknesses related to CWE-1256

CWE-285 Parent

Improper Authorization

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly verify whether a user has permission to access specific data or perform…

CWE-1230 Sibling

Exposure of Sensitive Information Through Metadata

This vulnerability occurs when an application protects the primary source of sensitive data but fails to secure the metadata derived from…

CWE-1297 Sibling

Unprotected Confidential Information on Device is Accessible by OSAT Vendors

This vulnerability occurs when a semiconductor chip does not properly secure sensitive data, making it accessible to third-party…

CWE-1328 Sibling

Security Version Number Mutable to Older Versions

This vulnerability occurs when a hardware system's security version number can be changed, allowing an attacker to downgrade or roll back…

CWE-552 Sibling

Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties

This vulnerability occurs when an application exposes files or directories to users who shouldn't have access to them.

CWE-732 Sibling

Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource

This vulnerability occurs when a system grants overly permissive access to a sensitive resource, allowing unauthorized users or processes…

CWE-862 Sibling

Missing Authorization

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to verify whether a user has permission to access specific data or execute certain…

CWE-863 Sibling

Incorrect Authorization

This vulnerability occurs when an application checks if a user is allowed to perform an action or access data, but the check is flawed or…

CWE-926 Sibling

Improper Export of Android Application Components

This vulnerability occurs when an Android app makes a component (like an Activity, Service, or Content Provider) available to other apps…

Ressourcen

Further reading

Bereit, wenn du es bist

Schluss mit dem Bezahlen pro Entwickler.
Schließ den Kreislauf.

Plexicus ist die KI-native ASPM, die scannt, filtert, fixt, pentestet und erklärt — autonom. Unbegrenzte Entwickler, unbegrenzte Repos, Fair-Use-KI-Aktionen. Echter kostenloser Tarif, €269/mo jährlich, wenn du bereit bist.

Kostenlos starten Demo buchen