CWE-1296: Incorrect Chaining or Granularity of Debug Components
The product's debug components contain incorrect chaining or granularity of debug components.
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Overview
For debugging and troubleshooting a chip, several hardware design elements are often implemented, including: Various Test Access Ports (TAPs) allow boundary scan commands to be executed. For scanning the internal components of a chip, there are scan cells that allow the chip to be used as a "stimulus and response" mechanism. Chipmakers might create custom methods to observe the internal components of their chips by placing various tracing hubs within their chip and creating hierarchical or interconnected structures among those hubs. Logic errors during design or synthesis could misconfigure the interconnection of the debug components, which could allow unintended access permissions.
Common consequences
What can happen when CWE-1296 is exploited.
Gain Privileges or Assume Identity, Bypass Protection Mechanism, Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands, Modify Memory, Modify Files or Directories
Affects: Confidentiality, Integrity, Access Control, Authentication, Authorization, Availability, Accountability
Depending on the access to debug component(s) erroneously granted, an attacker could use the debug component to gain additional understanding about the system to further an attack and/or execute other commands. This could compromise any security property, including the ones listed above.
How it happens
When it is introduced
Typically introduced during these phases of the software lifecycle.
Applies to
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