CVE-2016-8763 in P8 Lite
Summary
by MITRE
The TrustZone driver in Huawei P9 phones with software Versions earlier than EVA-AL10C00B352 and P9 Lite with software VNS-L21C185B130 and earlier versions and P8 Lite with software ALE-L02C636B150 and earlier versions has an improper resource release vulnerability, which allows attackers to cause a system restart or privilege elevation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/24/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-8763 resides within the TrustZone driver component of several Huawei smartphone models including the P9, P9 Lite, and P8 Lite devices. This flaw represents a critical improper resource release vulnerability that affects specific software versions of these mobile devices. The TrustZone technology serves as a security subsystem within mobile processors, providing a secure environment for sensitive operations and protecting against malicious attacks. When this driver fails to properly release system resources, it creates exploitable conditions that can be leveraged by attackers to compromise device integrity.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate resource management within the TrustZone driver implementation. This improper resource release occurs when the driver does not correctly handle memory allocation and deallocation processes, leading to situations where system resources remain in an inconsistent state. The vulnerability manifests through a privilege escalation mechanism that allows attackers to gain elevated system privileges, potentially enabling full device compromise. This flaw operates at the kernel level where the TrustZone driver interfaces with the operating system, making it particularly dangerous as it can bypass standard security controls.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to affected Huawei devices. Attackers can exploit this weakness to trigger unauthorized system restarts, which can disrupt device functionality and potentially create denial-of-service conditions. More critically, the privilege elevation capability allows malicious actors to gain root access to the device, enabling them to install malware, extract sensitive data, or modify system configurations without user consent. The vulnerability affects multiple device models and software versions, indicating a widespread issue within Huawei's mobile security implementation that could impact thousands of devices in the field.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with attack patterns documented in the attack mitigation framework where improper resource handling represents a common vector for privilege escalation attacks. This weakness can be categorized under CWE-415, which describes improper resource release or cleanup vulnerabilities, and it directly relates to the attack techniques outlined in MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and defense evasion tactics. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple software versions suggests that Huawei's security updates may not have adequately addressed the root cause of the resource management flaw, leaving users exposed to potential exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate software updates from Huawei, as these patches would address the underlying resource management issues within the TrustZone driver. Users should also implement additional security measures such as disabling unnecessary services and maintaining regular security audits of their devices. Organizations deploying these devices should consider network-level monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures for handling potential compromise scenarios. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper resource management in security-critical components and underscores the need for comprehensive security testing throughout the software development lifecycle.