CWE-1176: Inefficient CPU Computation
Learn about CWE-1176 (Inefficient CPU Computation), its security impact, exploitation methods, and prevention guidelines.
What is Inefficient CPU Computation?
• Overview: Inefficient CPU Computation (CWE-1176) occurs when software uses algorithms that are not optimized for performance, leading to unnecessary CPU load. This can slow down the application, affecting user experience and potentially introducing vulnerabilities if attackers can influence computation complexity.
• Exploitation Methods:
- Attackers can exploit this by triggering scenarios that force the software to handle worst-case computational complexity, increasing CPU usage.
- Common attack patterns include inputting data that leads to maximum computational effort or manipulating execution paths to exploit inefficient algorithms.
• Security Impact:
- Direct consequences include degradation of application performance, making it slow or unresponsive.
- Potential cascading effects include denial-of-service conditions if the CPU is overwhelmed, impacting other systems or services.
- Business impact involves user dissatisfaction, reduced productivity, and potential financial loss due to service downtime.
• Prevention Guidelines:
- Specific code-level fixes involve analyzing and optimizing algorithms for better performance, potentially replacing inefficient algorithms with more efficient alternatives.
- Security best practices include regular performance profiling and benchmarking to identify bottlenecks.
- Recommended tools and frameworks are those that provide performance analysis and optimization features, such as profilers and static analysis tools that can highlight inefficient code patterns.
Technical Details
Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified
Affected Languages: Not specified
Affected Technologies: Not specified