CVE-2017-13091 in P1735
Summary
by MITRE
The P1735 IEEE standard describes flawed methods for encrypting electronic-design intellectual property (IP), as well as the management of access rights for such IP, including improperly specified padding in CBC mode allows use of an EDA tool as a decryption oracle. The methods are flawed and, in the most egregious cases, enable attack vectors that allow recovery of the entire underlying plaintext IP. Implementations of IEEE P1735 may be weak to cryptographic attacks that allow an attacker to obtain plaintext intellectual property without the key, among other impacts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/27/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2017-13091 stems from the IEEE P1735 standard which governs the encryption and access control of electronic design intellectual property within the semiconductor industry. This standard defines methodologies for protecting sensitive IP assets during design and manufacturing processes, particularly focusing on the cryptographic protection of design data. The flaw specifically manifests in the implementation of cipher block chaining mode encryption, where improper padding mechanisms create exploitable weaknesses that fundamentally compromise the security of the entire IP protection framework.
The technical implementation flaw resides in the CBC mode encryption algorithm's improper padding specification, which creates a decryption oracle vulnerability. This weakness allows attackers to exploit the padding validation process to iteratively determine the plaintext content without possessing the cryptographic key. The vulnerability operates through a chosen ciphertext attack vector where an attacker can manipulate encrypted data and observe the decryption responses to gradually reconstruct the original plaintext IP data. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the cryptographic protocol design, as the padding scheme fails to properly validate the integrity of the encrypted blocks, enabling an attacker to use the EDA tool itself as a decryption oracle mechanism.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple cryptographic weakness, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of electronic design automation tools and the intellectual property protection they are meant to provide. Organizations implementing IEEE P1735 standards face severe risks including complete exposure of proprietary design data, potential competitive disadvantage, and violation of industry security expectations. The attack vector allows for the recovery of entire underlying plaintext IP without key knowledge, representing a catastrophic failure in the security model. This vulnerability particularly affects the semiconductor industry supply chain where design IP is exchanged between multiple parties, creating widespread potential impact across the ecosystem.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper padding schemes that prevent the decryption oracle attack pattern, including adoption of authenticated encryption modes such as GCM or CCM instead of plain CBC mode. Organizations should conduct comprehensive audits of all EDA tool implementations that utilize IEEE P1735 standards and replace or patch affected systems. The remediation process involves cryptographic protocol updates and potentially complete redesign of the IP protection mechanisms. Industry best practices suggest implementing additional layers of security including key rotation, access control monitoring, and continuous vulnerability assessment. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-754 and CWE-327 categories related to improper error handling in cryptographic operations and weak encryption algorithms, while the attack methodology corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1552.004 for unsecured credentials and T1071.004 for application layer protocol. Organizations must also consider the broader implications for supply chain security and implement comprehensive risk management strategies to protect against similar vulnerabilities in other cryptographic implementations.