CWE-1351: Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments

Extended Description

The hardware designer may improperly anticipate hardware behavior when exposed to exceptionally cold conditions. As a result they may introduce a weakness by not accounting for the modified behavior of critical components when in extreme environments. An example of a change in behavior is that power loss won't clear/reset any volatile state when cooled below standard operating temperatures. This may result in a weakness when the starting state of the volatile memory is being relied upon for a security decision. For example, a Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) may be supplied as a security primitive to improve confidentiality, authenticity, and integrity guarantees. However, when the PUF is paired with DRAM, SRAM, or another temperature sensitive entropy source, the system designer may introduce weakness by failing to account for the chosen entropy source's behavior at exceptionally low temperatures. In the case of DRAM and SRAM, when power is cycled at low temperatures, the device will not contain the bitwise biasing caused by inconsistencies in manufacturing and will instead contain the data from previous boot. Should the PUF primitive be used in a cryptographic construction which does not account for full adversary control of PUF seed data, weakness would arise. This weakness does not cover "Cold Boot Attacks" wherein RAM or other external storage is super cooled and read externally by an attacker.

Source-backed guidance

Additional facts reviewed against primary or authoritative security sources.

Verify controls for CWE-1351 with SSDF evidence

Use NIST SSDF verification and vulnerability-response practices to detect CWE-1351, Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments, throughout the product lifecycle. Derive review questions, static or dynamic checks, and negative tests from the CWE's causal behavior; define the components and lifecycle stages each check covers; and retain findings with enough evidence to distinguish the root cause from symptoms and impacts. Track escapes and false negatives, then improve the verification plan after every confirmed occurrence.

NIST SP 800-218 Secure Software Development Framework — National Institute of Standards and Technology

Address Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments during Architecture and Design

MITRE associates mitigation with Architecture and Design; recorded impacts include Varies by Context, and Unexpected State; the entry maps to CAPEC-624, and CAPEC-625. Use these source-defined anchors to turn CWE-1351 into implementation, review, and verification checks for the affected component.

CWE-1351: Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments — MITRE CWE

Triage CWE-1351 against known exploitation evidence

Use CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog to test whether a vulnerability mapped to CWE-1351, Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments, has evidence of exploitation in the wild. Confirm the CVE-to-CWE root-cause mapping independently before attaching the example, then capture the affected product, required action, and remediation deadline. A missing KEV match is not evidence that the weakness is unexploited, and a KEV entry must not be generalized to every occurrence of this CWE.

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog — Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Apply precise root-cause mapping to CWE-1351

Apply MITRE's full root-cause mapping guidance when using CWE-1351, Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments. Separate weakness language from attacker prerequisites and technical impact, check the entry's abstraction and vulnerability-mapping notes, and prefer the most specific Base or Variant supported by the evidence. Record the rejected alternatives and require an independent review before the mapping is used for remediation trends or program metrics.

CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Guidance — MITRE CWE

Validate CWE-1351 with root-cause mapping checks

Apply MITRE's root-cause mapping quick tips to CWE-1351, Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments. Confirm the finding describes the causal weakness rather than an impact or attack pattern, compare the abstraction and mapping notes with plausible alternatives, and have a second reviewer challenge the selection. Preserve the evidence and reasoning so recurring defects can be measured against one consistent identifier.

CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Quick Tips — MITRE CWE

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CWE-1351: Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments?+

CWE-1351: Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. A hardware device, or the firmware running on it, is missing or has incorrect protection features to maintain goals of security primitives when the device is cooled below standard operating temperatures. The hardware designer may improperly anticipate hardware behavior when exposed to exceptionally cold conditions. As a result they may introduce a weakness by not accounting for the modified behavior of critical components when in extreme environments. An example of a change in behavior is that power loss won't clear/reset any volatile state when cooled below standard operating temperatures. This may result in a weakness when the starting state of the volatile memory is being relied upon for a security decision. For example, a Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) may be supplied as a security primitive to improve confidentiality, authenticity, and integrity guarantees. However, when the PUF is paired with DRAM, SRAM, or another temperature sensitive entropy source, the system designer may introduce weakness by failing to account for the chosen entropy source's behavior at exceptionally low temperatures. In the case of DRAM and SRAM, when power is cycled at low temperatures, the device will not contain the bitwise biasing caused by inconsistencies in manufacturing and will instead contain the data from previous boot. Should the PUF primitive be used in a cryptographic construction which does not account for full adversary control of PUF seed data, weakness would arise. This weakness does not cover "Cold Boot Attacks" wherein RAM or other external storage is super cooled and read externally by an attacker.

What are the security consequences of Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments?+

If exploited, CWE-1351 (Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments) it can compromise Integrity and Authentication, leading to outcomes such as Varies by Context and Unexpected State.

How do you prevent or mitigate Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments?+

Recommended mitigations for CWE-1351 include: The system should account for security primitive behavior when cooled outside standard temperatures.

Which programming languages are affected by Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments?+

CWE-1351 commonly affects Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.

What is the difference between a CWE and a CVE?+

A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-1351 describes a category of software weakness — the underlying flaw type. A CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) identifies a specific, real-world vulnerability in a particular product. In short, a CWE is the kind of mistake, and a CVE is an instance of that mistake being found in software.

CWE-1351: Improper Handling of Hardware Behavior in Exceptionally Cold Environments

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