ARM-based Hardware Debugging Vulnerability Allows Unauthorized Access to EL3 Memory/Registers

CVE-2018-18068 · HIGH Severity

AV:N/AC:L/AU:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

The ARM-based hardware debugging feature on Raspberry Pi 3 module B+ and possibly other devices allows non-secure EL1 code to read/write any EL3 (the highest privilege level in ARMv8) memory/register via inter-processor debugging. With a debug host processor A running in non-secure EL1 and a debug target processor B running in any privilege level, the debugging feature allows A to halt B and promote B to any privilege level. As a debug host, A has full control of B even if B owns a higher privilege level than A. Accordingly, A can read/write any EL3 memory/register via B. Also, with this memory access, A can execute arbitrary code in EL3.

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