CWE-1190 — Vulnerability Class 1

CWE-1190 represents a critical timing vulnerability where a system enables Direct Memory Access (DMA) capable devices before establishing necessary security configurations during the boot phase. This weakness allows attackers to exploit the unprotected window by injecting malicious hardware or using existing peripherals to directly read from or write to system memory, bypassing standard software-based access controls. Consequently, adversaries can extract sensitive data, such as encryption keys or credentials, or escalate privileges to gain full system control. To mitigate this risk, developers must enforce strict initialization sequences that configure DMA controllers with appropriate memory protection and isolation policies before any device is activated. Implementing hardware-based trust anchors and verifying security states early in the boot process ensures that DMA operations are restricted to authorized, secure contexts, thereby preventing unauthorized memory access during the vulnerable startup period.