CWE-208 - Observable Timing Discrepancy

Weakness Name

Observable Timing Discrepancy

Description

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.

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.

Common Consequences

Related Weaknesses

CWE-203Observable Discrepancy

CWE-327Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic AlgorithmHigh

CWE-385Covert Timing ChannelMedium