Spectre-BHB vulnerability in Trusted Firmware-A

1) Processor optimization removal or modification of security-critical code

EUVDB-ID: #VU65007

Risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 5.7 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2022-23960

CWE-ID: CWE-1037 - Processor optimization removal or modification of security-critical code

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to obtain potentially sensitive information.

The vulnerability exists due to improper restrictions of cache speculation. A local user can leverage the shared branch history in the Branch History Buffer (BHB) to influence mispredicted branches and gain access to sensitive information.

The vulnerability was dubbed Spectre-BHB.

Mitigation

Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Trusted Firmware-A: 0.2 - 2.6 rc1

External links

http://trustedfirmware-a.readthedocs.io/en/latest/security_advisories/security-advisory-tfv-9.html

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.