AES key disclosure via electromagnetic leakage
Published Jan 10, 2023 · Updated Aug 3, 2024
Observable discrepancy in ARMv8 AES instructions allows physically proximate attackers to extract AES keys through electromagnetic traces. The instructions process key-dependent AES state in NEON registers without intrinsic side-channel resistance, producing emissions correlated with intermediate values. Key recovery requires close-range measurement and many known-ciphertext traces; Arm disputes architecture-level causation, with no reported integrity or availability impact.
Summary
What happened
Observable discrepancy in ARMv8 AES instructions allows physically proximate attackers to extract AES keys through electromagnetic traces. The instructions process key-dependent AES state in NEON registers without intrinsic side-channel resistance, producing emissions correlated with intermediate values. Key recovery requires close-range measurement and many known-ciphertext traces; Arm disputes architecture-level causation, with no reported integrity or availability impact.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-48251
- Published
- Jan 10, 2023
- Updated
- Aug 3, 2024
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-203, CAPEC-189
- Attack vector
- physical
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 10, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 3, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
- Apple CoreCrypto ARM CE electromagnetic attackproof of concept · demonstrated
- ARMv8 AES electromagnetic side-channel demonstrationfunctional · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo