CWE-1263

Improper Physical Access Control
AI Translation Available

The product is designed with access restricted to certain information, but it does not sufficiently protect against an unauthorized actor with physical access to these areas.

Status
incomplete
Abstraction
class

Sections of a product intended to have restricted access may be inadvertently or intentionally rendered accessible when the implemented physical protections are insufficient. The specific requirements around how robust the design of the physical protection mechanism needs to be depends on the type of product being protected. Selecting the correct physical protection mechanism and properly enforcing it through implementation and manufacturing are critical to the overall physical security of the product.

Common Consequences

confidentiality integrity access control
Impacts
varies by context

Potential Mitigations

Phases:
architecture and design testing manufacturing
Descriptions:
• The testing phase of the lifecycle should establish a method for determining whether the protection mechanism is sufficient to prevent unauthorized access.
• Specific protection requirements depend strongly on contextual factors including the level of acceptable risk associated with compromise to the product's protection mechanism. Designers could incorporate anti-tampering measures that protect against or detect when the product has been tampered with.
• Ensure that all protection mechanisms are fully activated at the time of manufacturing and distribution.