CWE-511: Logic/Time Bomb
Official CWE-511 CWE context with Glexia analysis, remediation guidance, related CVEs, and ATT&CK context.
Glexia's Take
CWE-511: Logic/Time Bomb
Logic/Time Bomb represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
Executive Impact
- Other,Integrity: Varies by Context,Alter Execution Logic
Developer Pattern
CWE-511 is the kind of defect developers can usually prevent with explicit validation, safer framework defaults, and tests that exercise hostile input or unsafe state transitions.
Confidence
high confidence from CWE-511, 4.20.
Official CWE Definition
CWE-511: Logic/Time Bomb
The product contains code that is designed to disrupt the legitimate operation of the product (or its environment) when a certain time passes, or when a certain logical condition is met.
When the time bomb or logic bomb is detonated, it may perform a denial of service such as crashing the system, deleting critical data, or degrading system response time. This bomb might be placed within either a replicating or non-replicating Trojan horse.
Developer And Remediation Guidance
How teams prevent and detect this weakness
Causes
- Typical examples of triggers include system date or time mechanisms, random number generators, and counters that wait for an opportunity to launch their payload. When triggered, a time-bomb may deny service by crashing the system, deleting files, or degrading system response-time.
Remediation
- Installation: Always verify the integrity of the product that is being installed.
Detection
- Automated Static Analysis: Conduct a code coverage analysis using live testing, then closely inspect any code that is not covered.
Mappings
Related CVEs, CWEs, and ATT&CK context
Related CWEs
ATT&CK Relevance
ATT&CK relevance is shown only when reviewed or responsibly inferred.