CVE-2021-42114CWE-20

Scalable Rowhammering In the Frequency Domain to Bypass TRR Mitigations On Modern DDR4/LPDDR4X Devices

Critical · published November 16, 2021

CVSS v3.1
9.0
EPSS
3%
Percentile
87.2
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

🚨 A newly discovered Rowhammer vulnerability in modern DRAM devices could let attackers flip bits on memory chips like flipping light switches in a dark room! 🔥 Think of your DRAM like a high-tech library. If someone figures out how to knock books off the shelves in just the right way, they could create chaos by changing the contents of the books without anyone noticing! This vulnerability could lead to devastating consequences, allowing an attacker to escalate privileges, manipulate critical kernel binaries like sudo, and even tamper with sensitive RSA-2048 keys. The potential for cross-tenant virtual machine access is absolutely chilling, making this a perfect storm for malicious actors!

Put simply

Think of your DRAM like a high-tech library. If someone figures out how to knock books off the shelves in just the right way, they could create chaos by changing the contents of the books without anyone noticing! CVE-2021-42114 exploits non-uniform Rowhammer access patterns to bypass the Target Row Refresh (TRR) mitigation in affected DRAM devices from major manufacturers, including Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, triggering bit flips that compromise security.

What to do

This vulnerability could lead to devastating consequences, allowing an attacker to escalate privileges, manipulate critical kernel binaries like sudo, and even tamper with sensitive RSA-2048 keys. The potential for cross-tenant virtual machine access is absolutely chilling, making this a perfect storm for malicious actors! It's crucial to monitor your DRAM devices for patches from manufacturers. While there may not be immediate fixes, staying updated with security advisories and evaluating your hardware for potential upgrades is essential. Consider hardware changes to mitigate the risk. You've got this! Stay informed and proactive, and you'll be a security hero in no time! 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
9.0 · CRITICAL
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.02984 · 87.2th percentile
Weakness
CWE-20 · Improper Input Validation
Published
2021-11-16T11:45Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 16 NOV 11:45Z
    Scalable Rowhammering In the Frequency Domain to Bypass TRR Mitigations On Modern DDR4/LPDDR4X Devices
    cvelistv5