CWE-385 – Covert Timing Channel

Read Time:39 Second

Description

Covert timing channels convey information by modulating some aspect of system behavior over time, so that the program receiving the information can observe system behavior and infer protected information.

Modes of Introduction:

– Architecture and Design

 

Likelihood of Exploit: Medium

 

Related Weaknesses

CWE-514

 

Consequences

Confidentiality, Other: Read Application Data, Other

Information exposure.

 

Potential Mitigations

Phase: Architecture and Design

Description: 

Whenever possible, specify implementation strategies that do not introduce time variances in operations.

Phase: Implementation

Description: 

Often one can artificially manipulate the time which operations take or — when operations occur — can remove information from the attacker.

Phase: Implementation

Description: 

It is reasonable to add artificial or random delays so that the amount of CPU time consumed is independent of the action being taken by the application.

CVE References