CWE-208: Observable Timing Discrepancy
CWE版本: 4.18
更新日期: 2025-09-09
弱点描述
Two separate operations in a product require different amounts of time to complete, in a way that is observable to an actor and reveals security-relevant information about the state of the product, such as whether a particular operation was successful or not.
扩展描述
In security-relevant contexts, even small variations in timing can be exploited by attackers to indirectly infer certain details about the product's internal operations. For example, in some cryptographic algorithms, attackers can use timing differences to infer certain properties about a private key, making the key easier to guess. Timing discrepancies effectively form a timing side channel.
常见后果
影响范围: Confidentiality Access Control
技术影响: Read Application Data Bypass Protection Mechanism
观察示例
参考: CVE-2019-10071
Java-oriented framework compares HMAC signatures using String.equals() instead of a constant-time algorithm, causing timing discrepancies
参考: CVE-2019-10482
Smartphone OS uses comparison functions that are not in constant time, allowing side channels
参考: CVE-2014-0984
Password-checking function in router terminates validation of a password entry when it encounters the first incorrect character, which allows remote attackers to obtain passwords via a brute-force attack that relies on timing differences in responses to incorrect password guesses, aka a timing side-channel attack.
参考: CVE-2003-0078
SSL implementation does not perform a MAC computation if an incorrect block cipher padding is used, which causes an information leak (timing discrepancy) that may make it easier to launch cryptographic attacks that rely on distinguishing between padding and MAC verification errors, possibly leading to extraction of the original plaintext, aka the "Vaudenay timing attack."
参考: CVE-2000-1117
Virtual machine allows malicious web site operators to determine the existence of files on the client by measuring delays in the execution of the getSystemResource method.
参考: CVE-2003-0637
Product uses a shorter timeout for a non-existent user than a valid user, which makes it easier for remote attackers to guess usernames and conduct brute force password guessing.
参考: CVE-2003-0190
Product immediately sends an error message when a user does not exist, which allows remote attackers to determine valid usernames via a timing attack.
参考: CVE-2004-1602
FTP server responds in a different amount of time when a given username exists, which allows remote attackers to identify valid usernames by timing the server response.
参考: CVE-2005-0918
Browser allows remote attackers to determine the existence of arbitrary files by setting the src property to the target filename and using Javascript to determine if the web page immediately stops loading, which indicates whether the file exists or not.
引入模式
| 阶段 | 说明 |
|---|---|
| Architecture and Design | COMMISSION: This weakness refers to an incorrect design related to an architectural security tactic. |
| Implementation | - |
| Operation | - |
适用平台
编程语言
分类映射
| 分类名称 | 条目ID | 条目名称 | 映射适配度 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLOVER | - | Timing discrepancy infoleak | - |
关键信息
CWE ID: CWE-208
抽象级别: Base
结构: Simple
状态: Incomplete