CWE-1222: Insufficient Granularity of Address Regions Protected by Register Locks
Integrated circuits and hardware IPs can expose the device configuration controls that need to be programmed after device power reset by a trusted firmware or software module (commonly set by BIOS/bootloader) and then locked from any further modification. In hardware design, this is commonly implemented using a programmable lock bit which enables/disables writing to a protected set of registers or address regions. When the programmable lock bit is set, the relevant address region can be implemented as a hardcoded value in hardware logic that cannot be changed later.
A problem can arise wherein the protected region definition is not granular enough. After the programmable lock bit has been set, then this new functionality cannot be implemented without change to the hardware design.
Modes of Introduction
| Phase | Note |
|---|---|
| Architecture and Design | Such issues are introduced during hardware architecture and design since software controls and configuration are defined during these phases and identified later during Testing or System Configuration phases. |
Applicable Platforms
| Type | Class | Name | Prevalence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Not Language-Specific | ||
| Operating_system | Not OS-Specific | ||
| Architecture | Not Architecture-Specific | ||
| Technology | System on Chip |
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
The Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC™) effort provides a publicly available catalog of common attack patterns that helps users understand how adversaries exploit weaknesses in applications and other cyber-enabled capabilities.
CAPEC at Mitre.org