CWE Database
/

CWE-1268

Back to CWE list

CWE-1268

Policy Privileges are not Assigned Consistently Between Control and Data Agents

Base
Draft

Description

The product's hardware-enforced access control for a particular resource improperly accounts for privilege discrepancies between control and write policies.

{"xhtml:p":["Integrated circuits and hardware engines may provide access to resources (device-configuration, encryption keys, etc.) belonging to trusted firmware or software modules (commonly set by a BIOS or a bootloader). These accesses are typically controlled and limited by the hardware. Hardware design access control is sometimes implemented using a policy. A policy defines which entity or agent may or may not be allowed to perform an action. When a system implements multiple levels of policies, a control policy may allow direct access to a resource as well as changes to the policies themselves.","Resources that include agents in their control policy but not in their write policy could unintentionally allow an untrusted agent to insert itself in the write policy register. Inclusion in the write policy register could allow a malicious or misbehaving agent write access to resources. This action could result in security compromises including leaked information, leaked encryption keys, or modification of device configuration."]}

Common Consequences

Scope

Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
Access Control

Impact

Modify Memory, Read Memory, DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart, Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands, Gain Privileges or Assume Identity, Bypass Protection Mechanism, Read Files or Directories, Reduce Reliability

Potential Mitigations

Architecture and Design
Implementation

Access-control-policy definition and programming flow must be sufficiently tested in pre-silicon and post-silicon testing.

Applicable Platforms

Not Language-Specific

Security Training

Train your team to recognize and prevent security threats with our comprehensive security awareness program.

Start Training

Vulnerability Scanning

Discover vulnerabilities in your applications and infrastructure before attackers do.

Scan Now