CWE-1351: Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments

What is Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments?

• Overview: This vulnerability involves the failure to properly handle hardware behavior in extremely cold environments, which can lead to security issues if the device's components behave differently than expected under such conditions. This can impact the security features that rely on the device's state.

• Exploitation Methods:

• Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by cooling a device below its standard operating temperature to disrupt its expected behavior.
• Common techniques involve manipulating the state of volatile memory components like DRAM or SRAM, which may retain data unexpectedly when power is cycled in cold conditions.

• Security Impact:

• Direct consequences include compromised confidentiality, authenticity, and integrity due to reliance on corrupted security primitives.
• Potential cascading effects include unauthorized access and manipulation of sensitive data or system functions.
• Business impact could involve data breaches, loss of customer trust, and financial losses due to compromised systems.

• Prevention Guidelines:

• Specific code-level fixes include implementing checks and balances for temperature-dependent operations within firmware.
• Security best practices involve designing hardware with proper temperature resilience and ensuring that security primitives do not solely rely on volatile memory states.
• Recommended tools and frameworks include hardware testing tools that simulate extreme environmental conditions to validate the robustness of security features.

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Technical Details

Likelihood of Exploit: Not specified

Affected Languages: Not Language-Specific

Affected Technologies: System on Chip

Vulnerable Code Example

Python Example

import random
import time

# Simulated temperature sensor reading
def read_temperature():
    # Simulate reading temperature from a sensor
    temperature = random.uniform(-50.0, 50.0)  # Range is too wide, allowing for unrealistic low temperatures
    return temperature

def monitor_sensor():
    while True:
        temp = read_temperature()
        # No check for exceptionally low temperatures
        if temp < 0.0:  
            print(f"Warning: Cold temperature detected: {temp}C")
        time.sleep(1)

monitor_sensor()

Description of Vulnerability

• The code simulates reading temperature values from a sensor.
• The vulnerability arises because the code does not handle exceptionally low temperature readings appropriately.
• There is no mechanism to detect and mitigate the effects of temperatures that fall below the operational range of the hardware, which could lead to incorrect sensor readings or hardware failures.

How to fix Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments?

To fix this vulnerability, you should:

1. Define Operational Limits: Clearly define operational temperature limits for the hardware.
2. Validate Sensor Data: Introduce checks to validate the sensor data against these limits.
3. Implement Error Handling: Implement error handling or mitigation strategies when readings exceed operational boundaries.
4. Use Redundancy or Calibration: Consider using redundant sensors or calibration techniques to verify the validity of data.

Fixed Code Example

import random
import time

# Simulated temperature sensor reading
def read_temperature():
    # Simulate reading temperature from a sensor
    temperature = random.uniform(-50.0, 50.0)  # Simulated range
    return temperature

def is_temperature_valid(temperature):
    # Define operational temperature limits based on hardware specifications
    MIN_TEMP = -10.0  # Lower operational limit
    MAX_TEMP = 40.0   # Upper operational limit
    # Validate if the temperature is within the operational range
    return MIN_TEMP <= temperature <= MAX_TEMP

def monitor_sensor():
    while True:
        temp = read_temperature()
        # Check for valid temperature readings
        if not is_temperature_valid(temp):
            print(f"Error: Temperature out of range: {temp}C. Check sensor or environment conditions.")
            # Additional error handling could be added here, such as logging or triggering alerts
        else:
            print(f"Temperature is within range: {temp}C")
        time.sleep(1)

monitor_sensor()

Explanation of Fixes

• Operational Limits: Defined MIN_TEMP and MAX_TEMP to represent the hardware's operational temperature range, ensuring the sensor operates within safe limits.
• Validation Function: Introduced is_temperature_valid() to encapsulate the logic for checking whether the temperature reading is within the operational range, improving code readability and maintainability.
• Error Handling: Added logic to handle cases where the temperature reading is outside the valid range, prompting a check of the sensor or environment. This helps in maintaining system reliability by alerting users to potential issues.
• This approach ensures that the application can detect and respond to potentially harmful conditions, maintaining the integrity and reliability of the system in adverse environmental conditions.