| Operations | Definition |
| Encrypt | Transform (encipher) intelligible data (plaintext) into unintelligible form (ciphertext) using a cryptographic algorithm and key(s). The goal is to ensure confidentiality. |
| Decrypt | Transform(decipher) encripted data (ciphertext) into plaintext using a cryptographic algorithm and key(s). |
| Operands | Definition |
| Data | The data value of an object -- stored in object's memory. |
| Causes | Definition |
| Code Defect Bug | The operation has a bug, which is the first cause for the chain of weaknesses underlying a software security vulnerability. The bug must be fixed to resolve the vulnerability. |
| Missing Code | The entire operation implementation or a part of its specification is absent. |
| Added Code | The operation implementation adds a step to its specification. |
| Erroneous Code | The operation implementation has a bug. |
| Specification Defect Bug | A specification (algorithm, protocol) of an operation an error or a rule (policy, keying material) used by the operation has an error, which when implemented becomes the bug causing the chain of weaknesses underlying a software security vulnerability. It must be fixed to fix the bug and to resolve the vulnerability. |
| Hardcoded Key | |
| Wrong Algorithm | An inadequate, weak (incl. due to Insecure Mode of Operation), risky, or broken cryptographic algorithm or step. |
| Weak Protocol | xxx. |
| Data Fault | The object data has harmed semantics or inconsistent or wrong value |
| Weak Ciphertext | yyyddd. |
| Unverified Data | yyyddd. |
| Weak Key | The key is of an insufficiant length. |
| Weak Random Bits | yyyddd. |
| Repeated IV | The initialization vector (IV) -- the starting nonce of an encryption cryptographic algorithm -- is not unique. |
| Weak Shared Secrets | yyyddd. |
| Revealed Key | |
| Consequences | Definition |
| Data Error | The object data has harmed semantics or inconsistent or wrong value |
| Corrupted Data | Unintentionally modified data due to a previous weakness (e.g., with a decompress or a decrypt operation); would lead to invalid data for next weakness. |
| Meaningless Data | yyyddd. |
| Weak Ciphertext | yyyddd. |
| Revealed Key | |
| Data Security Final Error | yyyddd |
| Revealed Plaintext | Intelligible data that has meaning and can be understood without the application of decryption is exposed. |
| Operations Attributes | Definition |
| Mechanism | Shows how the buggy/faulty operation code is performed. |
| Symmetric Algorithm | A key encryption scheme that uses one shared key. Known also as 'secret key algorithm' (e.g. Serpent, Blowfish). |
| Asymmetric Algorithm | A key encryption scheme that uses two keys: public and private. Known also as 'public key algorithm' (e.g. Diffie-Hellman, RSA). |
| Source Code | Shows where the buggy/faulty operation code is in the program -- in what kind of software. |
| Codebase | The operation is in the programmer's code - in the application itself. |
| Third-Party | The operation is in a third-party software. |
| Standard Library | The operation is in the standard library for a particular programming language. |
| Compiler/Interpreter | The operation is in the language processor that allows execution or creates executables (compiler, assembler, interpreter). |
| Execution Space | Shows where the buggy/faulty operation code is running or with what privilege level). |
| Userland | The bugged code runs in an environment with privilege levels, but in unprivileged mode (e.g., ring 3 in x86 architecture). |
| Kernel | The bugged code runs in an environment with privilege levels with access privileged instructions (e.g., ring 0 in x86 architecture). |
| Bare-Metal | The bugged code runs in an environment without privilege control. Usually, the program is the only software running and has total access to the hardware. |
| Operands Attributes | Definition |
| Data Kind | Shows what the data value is. |
| Credentials | Passwords, tokens, smart cards, digital certificates, biometrics (fingerprint, hand configuration, retina, iris, voice.) They are sensitive data. |
| System Data | OS's configurations, logs, Web usage. They are sensitive data. |
| State Data | A snapshot of software behavior. They are sensitive data. |
| Cryptographic | Hashes, keys (secret, public, private) and other crypto algorithm parameters (initialization vectors (IVs), shared secrets (e.g. pre-master secrets), domain parameters, and random bits (eandom number - RBG seeds, salt, nonce). They are sensitive data. |
| Digital Document | yyyddd They are sensitive data. |
| Data State | Shows where the data come from. |
| Stored | The data are from a permanent storage (e.g., file, database on a storage device). |
| Transferred | The data are from another device via a network (e.g., connecting analog device or another computer). |
| In Use | The data are from a volatile storage (e.g., RAM, cache memory). |
