CVE-2016-6182 in Honor 4C
Summary
by MITRE
The Camera driver in Huawei Honor 4C smartphones with software CHM-UL00C00 before CHM-UL00C00B564, CHM-TL00C01 before CHM-TL00C01B564, and CHM-TL00C00 before CHM-TL00HC00B564 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (system crash) or gain privileges via a crafted application, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-6180, CVE-2016-6181, CVE-2016-6183, and CVE-2016-6184.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6182 represents a critical security flaw within the camera driver component of Huawei Honor 4C smartphones running specific software versions. This issue affects devices with firmware versions prior to CHM-UL00C00B564, CHM-TL00C01B564, and CHM-TL00HC00B564, creating a significant attack surface that could be exploited by malicious actors. The camera driver in these devices operates with elevated privileges, making it a prime target for privilege escalation attacks that could potentially compromise the entire device. The vulnerability manifests through crafted applications that can trigger system instability or unauthorized privilege elevation, demonstrating the dangerous nature of driver-level flaws in mobile operating systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within the camera driver component. When a malicious application attempts to interact with the camera subsystem through improper parameter handling or buffer manipulation, the driver fails to properly validate the incoming data structures. This leads to memory corruption issues that can cause the system to crash or potentially allow attackers to execute code with higher privileges than originally intended. The flaw operates at the kernel level where the camera driver executes, making it particularly dangerous as it bypasses normal user-space security boundaries and can potentially escalate from user-level access to system-level privileges. This aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-6182 extends beyond simple system crashes to encompass potential privilege escalation capabilities that could enable attackers to gain root access to affected devices. Mobile devices running vulnerable firmware become susceptible to persistent malware infections where attackers can install backdoors, extract sensitive user data, or modify system files without detection. The denial of service aspect creates availability risks that could be exploited for targeted attacks against specific individuals or organizations, while the privilege escalation component opens doors to comprehensive device compromise. These vulnerabilities can be particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where mobile devices contain sensitive corporate data, and they align with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers 'Local Privilege Escalation' and T1499 which covers 'Endpoint Denial of Service'.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from Huawei to address the underlying driver implementation flaws. Users should ensure their devices are updated to firmware versions CHM-UL00C00B564, CHM-TL00C01B564, or CHM-TL00HC00B564 respectively, as these contain patches that correct the memory management and input validation issues. Network administrators should monitor for exploitation attempts and consider implementing device management policies that restrict camera application permissions. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of comprehensive security testing for kernel-level components and highlights the need for proper input validation mechanisms in mobile device drivers. Organizations should also implement network monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts and maintain updated threat intelligence regarding similar vulnerabilities in mobile device ecosystems. Security researchers recommend that device manufacturers implement more robust privilege separation mechanisms and establish secure coding practices that prevent buffer overflows in critical system drivers.