{"@ID": "1320", "@Name": "Improper Protection for Outbound Error Messages and Alert Signals", "@Abstraction": "Base", "@Structure": "Simple", "@Status": "Draft", "Description": "Untrusted agents can disable alerts about signal conditions exceeding limits or the response mechanism that handles such alerts.", "Extended_Description": {"xhtml:p": ["Hardware sensors are used to detect whether a device is operating within design limits. The threshold values for these limits are set by hardware fuses or trusted software such as a BIOS.  \n\t\t\t\tModification of these limits may be protected by hardware mechanisms.", "When device sensors detect out of bound conditions, alert signals may be generated for remedial action, which may take the form of device shutdown or throttling.", "Warning signals that are not properly secured may be disabled or used to generate spurious alerts, causing degraded performance or denial-of-service (DoS).\n\t\t\t\tThese alerts may be masked by untrusted software. Examples of these alerts involve thermal and power sensor alerts."]}, "Related_Weaknesses": {"Related_Weakness": {"@Nature": "ChildOf", "@CWE_ID": "284", "@View_ID": "1000", "@Ordinal": "Primary"}}, "Weakness_Ordinalities": {"Weakness_Ordinality": {"Ordinality": "Primary"}}, "Applicable_Platforms": {"Language": {"@Class": "Not Language-Specific", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, "Operating_System": {"@Class": "Not OS-Specific", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, "Architecture": {"@Class": "Not Architecture-Specific", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, "Technology": [{"@Class": "System on Chip", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, {"@Name": "Microcontroller Hardware", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, {"@Name": "Memory Hardware", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, {"@Name": "Power Management Hardware", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, {"@Name": "Processor Hardware", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, {"@Name": "Test/Debug Hardware", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}, {"@Name": "Sensor Hardware", "@Prevalence": "Undetermined"}]}, "Modes_Of_Introduction": {"Introduction": [{"Phase": "Architecture and Design"}, {"Phase": "Implementation"}]}, "Common_Consequences": {"Consequence": {"Scope": "Availability", "Impact": ["DoS: Instability", "DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart", "Reduce Reliability", "Unexpected State"], "Likelihood": "High"}}, "Potential_Mitigations": {"Mitigation": {"Phase": "Architecture and Design", "Description": "Alert signals generated by critical events should be protected from access by untrusted agents. Only hardware or trusted firmware modules should be able to alter the alert configuration."}}, "Demonstrative_Examples": {"Demonstrative_Example": {"Intro_Text": {"xhtml:p": ["Consider a platform design where a Digital-Thermal Sensor (DTS) is used to monitor temperature and compare that output against a threshold value.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIf the temperature output equals or exceeds the threshold value, the DTS unit sends an alert signal to the processor.", "The processor, upon getting the alert, input triggers system shutdown. The alert signal is handled as a General-Purpose-I/O (GPIO) pin in input mode."]}, "Example_Code": [{"@Nature": "Bad", "@Language": "Other", "#text": "The processor-GPIO controller exposes software-programmable controls that allow untrusted software to reprogram the state of the GPIO pin."}, {"@Nature": "Good", "@Language": "Other", "#text": "The GPIO alert-signal pin is blocked from untrusted software access and is controlled only by trusted software, such as the System BIOS."}], "Body_Text": "Reprogramming the state of the GPIO pin allows malicious software to trigger spurious alerts or to set the alert pin to a zero value so that thermal sensor alerts are not received by the processor."}}, "Related_Attack_Patterns": {"Related_Attack_Pattern": [{"@CAPEC_ID": "1"}, {"@CAPEC_ID": "180"}]}, "Mapping_Notes": {"Usage": "Allowed", "Rationale": "This CWE entry is at the Base level of abstraction, which is a preferred level of abstraction for mapping to the root causes of vulnerabilities.", "Comments": "Carefully read both the name and description to ensure that this mapping is an appropriate fit. Do not try to 'force' a mapping to a lower-level Base/Variant simply to comply with this preferred level of abstraction.", "Reasons": {"Reason": {"@Type": "Acceptable-Use"}}}, "Content_History": {"Submission": {"Submission_Name": "Hareesh Khattri, Arun Kanuparthi, Parbati K. Manna", "Submission_Organization": "Intel Corporation", "Submission_Date": "2020-05-29", "Submission_Version": "4.3", "Submission_ReleaseDate": "2020-12-10"}, "Modification": [{"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2022-04-28", "Modification_Version": "4.7", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2022-04-28", "Modification_Comment": "updated Applicable_Platforms"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2022-06-28", "Modification_Version": "4.8", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2022-06-28", "Modification_Comment": "updated Applicable_Platforms"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2022-10-13", "Modification_Version": "4.9", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2022-10-13", "Modification_Comment": "updated Name"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2023-04-27", "Modification_Version": "4.11", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2023-04-27", "Modification_Comment": "updated Relationships"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2023-06-29", "Modification_Version": "4.12", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2023-06-29", "Modification_Comment": "updated Mapping_Notes"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2025-04-03", "Modification_Version": "4.17", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2025-04-03", "Modification_Comment": "updated Demonstrative_Examples"}, {"Modification_Name": "CWE Content Team", "Modification_Organization": "MITRE", "Modification_Date": "2025-12-11", "Modification_Version": "4.19", "Modification_ReleaseDate": "2025-12-11", "Modification_Comment": "updated Weakness_Ordinalities"}], "Previous_Entry_Name": {"@Date": "2022-10-13", "#text": "Improper Protection for Out of Bounds Signal Level Alerts"}}}