CWE-1221

Incorrect Register Defaults or Module Parameters

Hardware description language code incorrectly defines register defaults or hardware Intellectual Property (IP) parameters to insecure values.

Mitigation

Phase: Architecture and Design

Description:

  • During hardware design, all the system parameters and register defaults must be reviewed to identify security sensitive settings.
Mitigation

Phase: Implementation

Description:

  • The default values of these security sensitive settings need to be defined as part of the design review phase.
Mitigation

Phase: Testing

Description:

  • Testing phase should use automated tools to test that values are configured per design specifications.
CAPEC-166: Force the System to Reset Values

An attacker forces the target into a previous state in order to leverage potential weaknesses in the target dependent upon a prior configuration or state-dependent factors. Even in cases where an attacker may not be able to directly control the configuration of the targeted application, they may be able to reset the configuration to a prior state since many applications implement reset functions.

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