CVE-2024-1545 identifies a fault injection vulnerability in the wolfCrypt library, specifically within the RsaPrivateDecryption function implemented in rsa.c of wolfSSL version 5.6.6. The vulnerability arises from improper restriction of software interfaces to hardware features (CWE-1256), allowing an attacker who co-resides on the same physical system to perform Rowhammer fault injection attacks targeting the RsaKey structure in memory. Rowhammer is a hardware-based fault injection technique that induces bit flips in DRAM cells by repeatedly accessing adjacent memory rows, potentially corrupting critical cryptographic key data. This corruption can lead to information disclosure or privilege escalation by manipulating the cryptographic operations or leaking sensitive key material. The attack vector is remote in the sense that the attacker must have a process running on the same system, but no direct network access to the victim process is required. The CVSS 3.1 score is 5.9 (medium), reflecting the high attack complexity, requirement for low privileges, user interaction, and partial impact on confidentiality (high), integrity (low), and availability (low). The vulnerability affects both Linux and Windows platforms running wolfSSL 5.6.6. No patches or known exploits are currently available, but the threat is significant in multi-tenant environments such as cloud or containerized systems where co-residency is possible. The vulnerability also relates to CWE-252, indicating missing or ineffective fault handling mechanisms that could mitigate such attacks.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-1545 can be substantial, especially for those relying on wolfCrypt for cryptographic operations in multi-tenant or shared hardware environments. Confidentiality is at risk due to potential leakage of RSA private key material, which could compromise encrypted communications, digital signatures, and authentication mechanisms. Integrity may be partially affected if fault injection leads to corrupted cryptographic computations, potentially enabling privilege escalation or unauthorized access. Availability impact is low but possible if fault injection causes process crashes or denial of service. Organizations operating cloud services, virtualized environments, or embedded systems using wolfCrypt are particularly vulnerable. The risk is heightened in sectors handling sensitive data such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure. The lack of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the presence of Rowhammer-capable hardware in data centers and the increasing sophistication of attackers make this a credible threat. Failure to address this vulnerability could lead to data breaches, regulatory non-compliance under GDPR, and reputational damage.

To mitigate CVE-2024-1545, European organizations should implement several targeted measures beyond generic advice: 1) Enforce strict workload isolation in multi-tenant environments to prevent co-residency of untrusted processes with sensitive cryptographic workloads, using hardware virtualization extensions and container security best practices. 2) Deploy hardware-level protections against Rowhammer attacks, such as ECC memory, targeted refresh techniques, or memory access pattern monitoring, especially in data centers and cloud infrastructure. 3) Monitor system logs and performance counters for anomalous memory access patterns indicative of fault injection attempts. 4) Apply runtime integrity checks and fault detection mechanisms within cryptographic libraries or at the application layer to detect corrupted key material or abnormal cryptographic results. 5) Engage with wolfSSL for updates or patches and plan for timely application once available. 6) Conduct security assessments and penetration testing simulating fault injection scenarios to evaluate the effectiveness of mitigations. 7) Limit user interaction requirements by restricting access to systems running wolfCrypt and enforcing strong authentication and authorization controls. 8) Consider alternative cryptographic libraries with hardened fault injection resistance if wolfCrypt usage is not mandatory. These steps collectively reduce the attack surface and improve resilience against this sophisticated hardware-level threat.