CWE-1296

Incorrect Chaining or Granularity of Debug Components

Weakness Description

The product's debug components contain incorrect chaining or granularity of debug components.

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.

Potential Mitigations

Implementation

Ensure that debug components are properly chained and their granularity is maintained at different authentication levels.

Common Consequences

ConfidentialityIntegrityAccess ControlAuthenticationAuthorizationAvailabilityAccountability
Gain Privileges or Assume IdentityBypass Protection MechanismExecute Unauthorized Code or CommandsModify MemoryModify Files or Directories

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.

Detection Methods

Architecture or Design Review

Appropriate Post-Si tests should be carried out at various authorization levels to ensure that debug components are properly chained and accessible only to users with appropriate credentials.

Effectiveness: High

Dynamic Analysis with Manual Results Interpretation

Appropriate Post-Si tests should be carried out at various authorization levels to ensure that debug components are properly chained and accessible only to users with appropriate credentials.

Effectiveness: High

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