2302
Applicable Platforms
Language : Not Language-Specific (Prevalence = Undetermined)
Operating_System : Not OS-Specific (Prevalence = Undetermined)
Architecture : Not Architecture-Specific (Prevalence = Undetermined)
Technology : Not Technology-Specific (Prevalence = Undetermined)
Common Consequences
Scope Impact Likelihood
Confidentiality Read Memory Medium
Detection Methods
Manual Analysis
This weakness can be detected in hardware by manually inspecting processor specifications.
Features that exhibit this weakness may include microarchitectural predictors, access control
checks that occur out-of-order, or any other features that can allow operations to execute without
committing to architectural state. Academic researchers have demonstrated that new hardware
weaknesses can be discovered by exhaustively analyzing a processor's machine clear (or nuke)
conditions ([REF-1427]).
Effectiveness = Moderate
Hardware designers can also scrutinize aspects of the instruction set architecture that have
undefined behavior; these can become a focal point when applying other detection methods.
Manual analysis may not reveal all weaknesses in a processor specification and should be
combined with other detection methods to improve coverage.
Fuzzing
Academic researchers have demonstrated that this weakness can be detected in hardware using
software fuzzing tools that treat the underlying hardware as a black box ([REF-1428]).
Effectiveness = Opportunistic
Fuzzing may not reveal all weaknesses in a processor specification and should be combined with
other detection methods to improve coverage.
Fuzzing
CWE Version 4.14
CWE-1420: Exposure of Sensitive Information during Transient Execution
CWE-1420: Exposure of Sensitive Information during Transient Execution