CWE-1329 Base Incomplete

Reliance on Component That is Not Updateable

This vulnerability occurs when a product depends on a component that cannot be updated or patched to fix security flaws or critical bugs.

Definition

What is CWE-1329?

This vulnerability occurs when a product depends on a component that cannot be updated or patched to fix security flaws or critical bugs.
When a vulnerability is discovered in an un-updatable component, product owners are left with no practical way to secure their systems. The only recourse is often a complete replacement, which can be prohibitively expensive or operationally disruptive. This leaves the product permanently exposed to attacks or failures. This is a common and severe issue with hardware like ROM chips, firmware, and embedded systems, which historically lack update mechanisms. Software is not immune, as it can rely on outdated, unsupported third-party libraries or drivers that are essential for functionality but no longer maintained. In critical sectors like healthcare, legacy devices may operate for decades, creating vast attack surfaces with known vulnerabilities and no modern defenses. This reliance on frozen-in-time components creates long-term, unmanageable risk.
Auswirkungen in der Praxis

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-1329

  • CVE-2020-9054

    Chain: network-attached storage (NAS) device has a critical OS command injection (CWE-78) vulnerability that is actively exploited to place IoT devices into a botnet, but some products are "end-of-support" and cannot be patched (CWE-1277). [REF-1097]

Wie Angreifer es ausnutzen

Angreiferpfad Schritt für Schritt

  1. 1

    A refrigerator has an Internet interface for the official purpose of alerting the manufacturer when that refrigerator detects a fault. Because the device is attached to the Internet, the refrigerator is a target for hackers who may wish to use the device other potentially more nefarious purposes.

  2. 2

    A System-on-Chip (SOC) implements a Root-of-Trust (RoT) in ROM to boot secure code. However, at times this ROM code might have security vulnerabilities and need to be patched. Since ROM is immutable, it can be impossible to patch.

  3. 3

    ROM does not have built-in application-programming interfaces (APIs) to patch if the code is vulnerable. Implement mechanisms to patch the vulnerable ROM code.

  4. 4

    The example code is taken from the JTAG module of the buggy OpenPiton SoC of HACK@DAC'21. JTAG is protected with a password checker. Access to JTAG operations will be denied unless the correct password is provided by the user. This user-provided password is first sent to the HMAC module where it is hashed with a secret crypto key. This user password hash (pass_hash) is then compared with the hash of the correct password (exp_hash). If they match, JTAG will then be unlocked.

  5. 5

    However, the SoC's crypto key is hardcoded into the design and cannot be updated [REF-1387]. Therefore, if the key is leaked somehow, there is no way to reprovision the key without having the device replaced.

Verwundbares Codebeispiel

Vulnerable Other

A refrigerator has an Internet interface for the official purpose of alerting the manufacturer when that refrigerator detects a fault. Because the device is attached to the Internet, the refrigerator is a target for hackers who may wish to use the device other potentially more nefarious purposes.

Verwundbar Other 
The refrigerator has no means of patching and is hacked becoming a spewer of email spam.
Sicheres Codebeispiel

Secure Other

Sicher Other 
The device automatically patches itself and provides considerable more protection against being hacked.
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-1329

  • Requirements Specify requirements that each component should be updateable, including ROM, firmware, etc.
  • Architecture and Design Design the product to allow for updating of its components. Include the external infrastructure that might be necessary to support updates, such as distribution servers.
  • Architecture and Design / Implementation With hardware, support patches that can be programmed in-field or during manufacturing through hardware fuses. This feature can be used for limited patching of devices after shipping, or for the next batch of silicon devices manufactured, without changing the full device ROM.
  • Implementation Implement the necessary functionality to allow each component to be updated.
Erkennungssignale

How to detect CWE-1329

Architecture or Design Review Moderate

Check the consumer or maintainer documentation, the architecture/design documentation, or the original requirements to ensure that the documentation includes details for how to update the firmware.

Plexicus Auto-Fix

Plexicus erkennt CWE-1329 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.

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Häufig gestellte Fragen

Frequently asked questions

Was ist CWE-1329?

This vulnerability occurs when a product depends on a component that cannot be updated or patched to fix security flaws or critical bugs.

Wie gravierend ist CWE-1329?

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-1329 betroffen?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: Not OS-Specific, Not Architecture-Specific, Not Technology-Specific, ICS/OT.

Wie kann ich CWE-1329 verhindern?

Specify requirements that each component should be updateable, including ROM, firmware, etc. Design the product to allow for updating of its components. Include the external infrastructure that might be necessary to support updates, such as distribution servers.

Wie erkennt und behebt Plexicus CWE-1329?

Die SAST-Engine von Plexicus erkennt die Datenfluss-Signatur von CWE-1329 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-1329?

MITRE veröffentlicht die kanonische Definition unter https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/1329.html. Für ergänzende Hinweise kannst du auch die OWASP- und NIST-Dokumentation heranziehen.

Verwandte Schwachstellen

Weaknesses related to CWE-1329

CWE-1357 Parent

Reliance on Insufficiently Trustworthy Component

This weakness occurs when a system integrates a component that cannot be fully trusted to meet security, reliability, and maintenance…

CWE-1104 Sibling

Use of Unmaintained Third Party Components

This weakness occurs when software depends on third-party libraries, frameworks, or modules that are no longer actively updated or…

CWE-1277 Child

Firmware Not Updateable

This vulnerability occurs when a hardware product lacks a mechanism for users to install firmware updates, leaving known security flaws…

CWE-1310 Child

Missing Ability to Patch ROM Code

A system or System-on-Chip (SoC) lacks a mechanism to update its initial boot code stored in Read-Only Memory (ROM), permanently exposing…

Ressourcen

Further reading

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