CVE-2017-13263 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
A elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Android framework. Product: Android. Versions: 8.0, 8.1. Android ID: A-69383160.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/21/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-13263 represents a critical elevation of privilege flaw within the Android framework affecting versions 8.0 and 8.1. This issue stems from insufficient access controls in the system's permission model, allowing malicious applications to escalate their privileges and gain unauthorized access to system-level resources. The vulnerability manifests through improper validation of system calls and kernel interfaces that should only be accessible to trusted system components. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specially designed applications that leverage the flawed permission checking mechanisms to execute privileged operations normally restricted to system-level processes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a flaw in the Android framework's handling of inter-process communication and system service access. Specifically, the issue occurs when the system fails to properly validate the calling context of certain privileged operations, enabling an unprivileged application to impersonate a system component. This weakness creates a pathway for attackers to bypass the normal security boundaries that separate user applications from system services, effectively allowing them to perform actions that should require system-level privileges. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-276 category of improper privileges, where objects are created with insecure default permissions or access controls are not properly enforced.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to device security and user privacy. Successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to install malicious applications, access sensitive user data, modify system configurations, and potentially establish persistent backdoors. The attack surface extends beyond individual device security to encompass enterprise environments where Android devices may be used to access corporate networks and sensitive information systems. Organizations relying on Android devices for business operations face potential data breaches and compliance violations when such vulnerabilities remain unpatched. The vulnerability also aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation and persistence mechanisms, making it particularly dangerous in adversarial threat scenarios.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-13263 primarily focus on immediate system updates and security hardening measures. Android users and organizations should prioritize installing the latest security patches released by Google, which typically include fixes for the underlying permission validation issues. System administrators should implement additional monitoring for suspicious application behavior and conduct regular security assessments of mobile device environments. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date mobile security practices and demonstrates how framework-level flaws can undermine the entire security architecture of mobile operating systems. Organizations should also consider implementing mobile device management solutions that can enforce additional security policies and monitor for potentially malicious applications attempting to exploit such vulnerabilities.