CWE-208: Observable Timing Discrepancy
Two separate operations in a product require different amounts of time to complete, in a way that is observable to an actor and reveals security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not.
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Overview
In security-relevant contexts, even small variations in timing can be exploited by attackers to indirectly infer certain details about the product's internal operations. For example, in some cryptographic algorithms, attackers can use timing differences to infer certain properties about a private key, making the key easier to guess. Timing discrepancies effectively form a timing side channel.
Real-world CVEs
144 recorded CVEs are caused by CWE-208 (Observable Timing Discrepancy). The highest-severity and most recent are shown first. 63 new CWE-208 CVEs have been recorded so far in 2026 (23 in 2025).