Ethical Hacking News
A new variant of the RowHammer attack, codenamed Phoenix, has been discovered that can bypass advanced DDR5 memory protections in just 109 seconds. This vulnerability could potentially allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data or escalate privileges.
The Phoenix RowHammer attack is a variant of the RowHammer attack that targets DDR5 memory chips and can bypass advanced protections in just 109 seconds. The attack triggers bit flips on adjacent rows, resulting in data corruption, which can be used to gain unauthorized access or escalate privileges. Newer DRAM chips are more vulnerable to RowHammer attacks as device feature size reduces. Increasing the refresh rate to 3x stopped Phoenix from triggering bit flips on test systems, but this is a temporary solution. The discovery highlights the importance of continued research in cybersecurity and underscores the need for organizations to take proactive measures to protect themselves.
The world of cybersecurity is constantly evolving, and new vulnerabilities are being discovered at an alarming rate. One such vulnerability that has recently come to light is the Phoenix RowHammer attack, which has been found to bypass advanced DDR5 memory protections in a staggering 109 seconds. In this article, we will delve into the details of this vulnerability, its implications, and what it means for the future of cybersecurity.
The Phoenix RowHammer attack is a variant of the RowHammer attack, a hardware vulnerability that was first demonstrated in 2014. The RowHammer attack refers to a situation where repeated access to a row of memory in a DRAM chip can trigger bit flips in adjacent rows, resulting in data corruption. This can be subsequently weaponized by bad actors to gain unauthorized access to data, escalate privileges, or even cause a denial-of-service.
In this case, the Phoenix RowHammer attack is a variant of the RowHammer attack that targets Double Data Rate 5 (DDR5) memory chips from South Korean semiconductor vendor SK Hynix. The attack has been found to bypass sophisticated protection mechanisms put in place to resist the attack, making it possible for attackers to trigger bit flips on all 15 DDR5 memory chips in a test pool.
The researchers behind this discovery, a team of academics from ETH Zürich and Google, have proven that reliably triggering RowHammer bit flips on DDR5 devices from SK Hynix is possible on a larger scale. They also proved that on-die ECC (Error Correction Code) does not stop RowHammer, and that RowHammer end-to-end attacks are still possible with DDR5.
The implications of this vulnerability are severe. The fact that it can bypass advanced DDR5 memory protections in just 109 seconds is a serious concern for organizations that rely on these memory chips for their operations. This could potentially allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, escalate privileges, or even cause a denial-of-service.
Furthermore, the researchers have found that newer DRAM chips are more vulnerable to RowHammer attacks as device feature size reduces. This means that future DRAM chips will be more susceptible to this type of attack, making it essential for organizations to take proactive measures to protect themselves.
In response to this vulnerability, the researchers recommend increasing the refresh rate to 3x, which stopped Phoenix from triggering bit flips on their test systems. However, this is just a temporary solution, and more comprehensive measures need to be taken to address this issue.
The disclosure of this vulnerability comes weeks after research teams from George Mason University and Georgia Institute of Technology detailed two different RowHammer attacks called OneFlip and ECC.fail, respectively. While these previous discoveries were significant, the Phoenix RowHammer attack is a more serious concern due to its ability to bypass advanced DDR5 memory protections.
The discovery of this vulnerability highlights the importance of continued research in the field of cybersecurity. As new vulnerabilities are discovered, it becomes essential for organizations to stay informed and take proactive measures to protect themselves.
In conclusion, the Phoenix RowHammer attack is a significant vulnerability that has been found to bypass advanced DDR5 memory protections in just 109 seconds. This discovery highlights the importance of continued research in the field of cybersecurity and underscores the need for organizations to take proactive measures to protect themselves from future attacks.
A new variant of the RowHammer attack, codenamed Phoenix, has been discovered that can bypass advanced DDR5 memory protections in just 109 seconds. This vulnerability could potentially allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data or escalate privileges.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/A-Vulnerability-Unleashed-The-Phoenix-RowHammer-Attack-Bypasses-Advanced-DDR5-Memory-Protections-ehn.shtml
Published: Tue Sep 16 02:47:22 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
