CWE-1311: Improper Translation of Security Attributes by Fabric Bridge

What is Improper Translation of Security Attributes by Fabric Bridge?

• Overview: This vulnerability occurs when a fabric bridge incorrectly translates security attributes between different fabric protocols, potentially converting attributes from trusted to untrusted states or vice versa, which can compromise system security.

• Exploitation Methods:

• Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by manipulating the translation process to gain unauthorized access or escalate privileges.
• Common attack patterns include crafting transactions that exploit incorrect attribute translation to bypass access controls or escalate privileges.

• Security Impact:

• Direct consequences include unauthorized access to sensitive data, privilege escalation, and denial-of-service attacks.
• Potential cascading effects could involve broader system compromise and further exploitation of other vulnerabilities due to escalated privileges.
• The business impact can include data breaches, loss of customer trust, regulatory fines, and financial loss.

• Prevention Guidelines:

• Specific code-level fixes include ensuring proper validation and translation of security attributes across all fabric protocols.
• Security best practices involve implementing rigorous testing and validation processes for bridge components, focusing on attribute translation accuracy.
• Recommended tools and frameworks include using formal verification tools to ensure the correctness of attribute translations and employing security-focused design methodologies for hardware and firmware development.

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Technical Details

Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified

Affected Languages: Verilog, VHDL

Affected Technologies: Not Technology-Specific

Vulnerable Code Example

Here is the improved content with the necessary corrections and enhancements:

// Vulnerable code demonstrating improper translation of security attributes
module fabric_bridge(
    input wire [31:0] data_in,
    input wire [1:0] security_attr_in, // Security attributes from a trusted source
    output wire [31:0] data_out,
    output wire [1:0] security_attr_out // Security attributes to an untrusted destination
);
    // Directly forwarding security attributes without validation or conversion
    assign data_out = data_in;
    assign security_attr_out = security_attr_in; // No validation for attributes

endmodule

Explanation

• Direct Forwarding without Validation: The code directly forwards security attributes from a trusted source to an untrusted destination without any validation or translation. This could allow inappropriate access levels to be granted, leading to potential security breaches.

How to fix Improper Translation of Security Attributes by Fabric Bridge?

Fixed Code Example

// Fixed code with proper validation and translation of security attributes
module fabric_bridge(
    input wire [31:0] data_in,
    input wire [1:0] security_attr_in, // Security attributes from a trusted source
    output wire [31:0] data_out,
    output wire [1:0] security_attr_out // Security attributes to an untrusted destination
);

    // Function to validate and translate security attributes
    function [1:0] translate_security_attr(input [1:0] attr);
        begin
            // Validate and map the attributes according to security policy
            case (attr)
                2'b00: translate_security_attr = 2'b01; // Low to Medium security translation
                2'b01: translate_security_attr = 2'b10; // Medium to High security translation
                2'b10, 2'b11: translate_security_attr = 2'b11; // High security maintained
                default: translate_security_attr = 2'b00; // Default to lowest security
            endcase
        end
    endfunction

    assign data_out = data_in;
    assign security_attr_out = translate_security_attr(security_attr_in); // Secure translation

endmodule

Explanation

• Function translate_security_attr: This function implements logic for validating and translating security attributes according to a predefined security policy. It ensures that attributes coming from a trusted environment are properly assessed and translated before being sent to an untrusted destination.
• Policy-Based Translation: The function uses a case statement to map incoming attributes to their appropriate values in the destination environment, ensuring consistent and secure attribute translation.
• Default Handling: Provides a default translation path to handle unexpected or undefined attribute values safely, mitigating potential security risks.

This improved content ensures proper syntax highlighting, realistic examples, and thorough explanations to demonstrate the vulnerability and its fix effectively.