CWE-1204—Generation of Weak Initialization Vector (IV)

Weakness Name

Generation of Weak Initialization Vector (IV)

Description

The product uses a cryptographic primitive that uses an Initialization Vector (IV), but the product does not generate IVs that are sufficiently unpredictable or unique according to the expected cryptographic requirements for that primitive.

By design, some cryptographic primitives (such as block ciphers) require that IVs must have certain properties for the uniqueness and/or unpredictability of an IV. Primitives may vary in how important these properties are. If these properties are not maintained, e.g. by a bug in the code, then the cryptography may be weakened or broken by attacking the IVs themselves.

Common Consequences

Scope:

Confidentiality

Impact:

Read Application Data

Notes:

If the IV is not properly initialized, data that is encrypted can be compromised and information about the data can be leaked. See [REF-1179].

Related Weaknesses

• CWE-330Use of Insufficiently Random ValuesHigh