CVE-2014-8571 in Ascend P6
Summary
by MITRE
Apps on Huawei Ascend P6 mobile phones with software EDGE-U00 V100R001C17B508SP01 and earlier versions before V100R001C17B508SP02; EDGE-T00 V100R001C01B508SP01 and earlier versions before V100R001C01B508SP02; EDGE-C00 V100R001C92B508SP02 and earlier versions before V100R001C92B508SP03 can capture screens without the root permission. As a result, user information can be leaked by malware on Ascend P6 mobile phones.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/24/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-8571 represents a critical security flaw in Huawei Ascend P6 mobile devices running specific firmware versions. This issue stems from improper implementation of screen capture functionality within the device's operating system, allowing applications to bypass normal permission controls and capture screen content without requiring root access. The vulnerability affects multiple variants of the Ascend P6 including EDGE-U00, EDGE-T00, and EDGE-C00 models, with affected software versions ranging from V100R001C17B508SP01 through V100R001C01B508SP01 and V100R001C92B508SP02. The technical flaw manifests in the kernel-level implementation where screen capture operations do not properly enforce security boundaries, creating an attack surface that malicious applications can exploit to access sensitive user information. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and represents a failure in the Android security model's permission system. The issue maps to CWE-284 which describes improper access control mechanisms, specifically the lack of proper privilege enforcement for system-level operations. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for users as it enables malware to capture sensitive information including passwords, personal data, financial information, and other confidential content displayed on the device screen. The absence of root permission requirements for screen capture means that any installed application can potentially access and exfiltrate user data, effectively bypassing the device's built-in security protections. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform screen scraping attacks, capture login credentials, monitor user activities, and extract sensitive data without user knowledge or consent. This represents a serious privacy violation and data exposure risk that could lead to identity theft, financial fraud, and other malicious activities. The vulnerability also aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1113 for screen capture and T1059 for executing malicious code through compromised applications. Organizations and users should immediately update their devices to the patched firmware versions V100R001C17B508SP02, V100R001C01B508SP02, and V100R001C92B508SP03 respectively. Security professionals should implement application whitelisting policies and monitor for suspicious screen capture activities on affected devices. Additionally, users should avoid installing untrusted applications and regularly update their device firmware to protect against exploitation of this vulnerability. The incident highlights the importance of proper kernel-level security implementation and the need for comprehensive security testing of mobile operating systems before deployment. Organizations should conduct vulnerability assessments of their mobile device management systems to identify and remediate similar issues across their enterprise device fleets.