CWE-1246 Base Incompleto

Improper Write Handling in Limited-write Non-Volatile Memories

This vulnerability occurs when a system fails to properly manage write operations on memory hardware that has a limited lifespan, such as Flash or EEPROM. Without correct wear leveling, specific…

Definición

What is CWE-1246?

This vulnerability occurs when a system fails to properly manage write operations on memory hardware that has a limited lifespan, such as Flash or EEPROM. Without correct wear leveling, specific memory cells wear out faster than intended, leading to premature device failure.
Many non-volatile memory chips, like NAND Flash and EEPROM, have a fundamental physical limitation: each memory cell can only be written to or erased a finite number of times. To maximize the overall lifespan of the storage device, a technique called wear leveling is essential. It works by dynamically mapping the system's logical write requests across different physical memory blocks, ensuring that write cycles are distributed evenly instead of repeatedly hitting the same cells. If wear leveling is missing or implemented incorrectly, it creates a critical weakness. An attacker can exploit this by deliberately targeting the same logical addresses with frequent write operations. This causes the underlying physical cells to wear out rapidly, potentially bricking the storage device or making data unreliable far sooner than its rated endurance, which constitutes a denial-of-service attack against the hardware itself.
Impacto en el mundo real

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-1246

Todavía no hay CVEs públicos enlazados a esta CWE en el catálogo de MITRE.

Cómo lo explotan los atacantes

Ruta del atacante paso a paso

  1. 1

    An attacker can render a memory line unusable by repeatedly causing a write to the memory line.

  2. 2

    Below is example code from [REF-1058] that the user can execute repeatedly to cause line failure. W is the maximum associativity of any cache in the system; S is the size of the largest cache in the system.

  3. 3

    Without wear leveling, the above attack will be successful. Simple randomization of blocks will not suffice as instead of the original physical block, the randomized physical block will be worn out.

Ejemplo de código vulnerable

Vulnerable C++

Below is example code from [REF-1058] that the user can execute repeatedly to cause line failure. W is the maximum associativity of any cache in the system; S is the size of the largest cache in the system.

Vulnerable C++ 
// Do aligned alloc of (W+1) arrays each of size S
 while(1) {

```
   for (ii = 0; ii < W + 1; ii++)
  	 array[ii].element[0]++;
 }
Payload del atacante

Below is example code from [REF-1058] that the user can execute repeatedly to cause line failure. W is the maximum associativity of any cache in the system; S is the size of the largest cache in the system.

Payload del atacante C++ 
// Do aligned alloc of (W+1) arrays each of size S
 while(1) {

```
   for (ii = 0; ii < W + 1; ii++)
  	 array[ii].element[0]++;
 }
Ejemplo de código seguro

Secure Other

Without wear leveling, the above attack will be successful. Simple randomization of blocks will not suffice as instead of the original physical block, the randomized physical block will be worn out.

Seguro Other 
Wear leveling must be used to even out writes to the device.
What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.
Lista de prevención

How to prevent CWE-1246

  • Architecture and Design / Implementation / Testing Include secure wear leveling algorithms and ensure they may not be bypassed.
Señales de detección

How to detect CWE-1246

SAST High

Ejecuta análisis estático (SAST) sobre el código buscando el patrón inseguro en el flujo de datos.

DAST Moderate

Ejecuta pruebas dinámicas de seguridad de aplicaciones (DAST) contra el endpoint en vivo.

Runtime Moderate

Vigila los logs en tiempo de ejecución para detectar trazas de excepción inusuales, entradas malformadas o intentos de bypass de autorización.

Code review Moderate

Revisión de código: marca cualquier código nuevo que maneje entrada desde esta superficie sin usar los helpers validados del framework.

Auto-corrección de Plexicus

Plexicus detecta automáticamente CWE-1246 y abre un PR de corrección en menos de 60 segundos.

Codex Remedium escanea cada commit, identifica esta debilidad concreta y entrega un pull request listo para revisión con el parche. Sin tickets. Sin traspasos.

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Preguntas frecuentes

Frequently asked questions

¿Qué es CWE-1246?

This vulnerability occurs when a system fails to properly manage write operations on memory hardware that has a limited lifespan, such as Flash or EEPROM. Without correct wear leveling, specific memory cells wear out faster than intended, leading to premature device failure.

¿Qué gravedad tiene CWE-1246?

MITRE no ha publicado una calificación de probabilidad de explotación para esta debilidad. Trátala como de impacto medio hasta que tu modelo de amenazas demuestre lo contrario.

¿Qué lenguajes o plataformas se ven afectados por CWE-1246?

MITRE lists the following affected platforms: Not OS-Specific, Not Architecture-Specific, System on Chip, Memory Hardware, Storage Hardware.

¿Cómo puedo prevenir CWE-1246?

Include secure wear leveling algorithms and ensure they may not be bypassed.

¿Cómo detecta y corrige Plexicus CWE-1246?

El motor SAST de Plexicus detecta la firma de flujo de datos para CWE-1246 en cada commit. Cuando hay coincidencia, nuestro agente Codex Remedium abre un PR de corrección con el código corregido, las pruebas y un resumen de una línea para el revisor.

¿Dónde puedo aprender más sobre CWE-1246?

MITRE publica la definición canónica en https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/1246.html. También puedes consultar la documentación de OWASP y NIST para guías relacionadas.

Debilidades relacionadas

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Recursos

Further reading

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