CWE-1271
Uninitialized Value on Reset for Registers Holding Security Settings
AI Translation Available
Security-critical logic is not set to a known value on reset.
Status
incomplete
Abstraction
base
Affected Platforms
Extended Description
AI Translation
When the device is first brought out of reset, the state of registers will be indeterminate if they have not been initialized by the logic. Before the registers are initialized, there will be a window during which the device is in an insecure state and may be vulnerable to attack.
Technical Details
AI Translation
Common Consequences
access control
authentication
authorization
Impacts
varies by context
Potential Mitigations
Phases:
implementation
architecture and design
Descriptions:
•
All registers holding security-critical information should be set to a specific value on reset.
•
Design checks should be performed to identify any uninitialized flip-flops used for security-critical functions.