CVE-2017-14082 in Mobile Security
Summary
by MITRE
An uninitialized pointer information disclosure vulnerability in Trend Micro Mobile Security (Enterprise) versions 9.7 and below could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to disclosure sensitive information on a vulnerable system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/25/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-14082 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Trend Micro Mobile Security Enterprise versions 9.7 and earlier. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory allocation processes where the software fails to initialize certain pointer variables before utilizing them in memory operations. The flaw exists in the mobile security application's memory management subsystem, specifically affecting how the software processes and manages memory references during routine security operations. Attackers can exploit this weakness to gain access to uninitialized memory segments that may contain sensitive data previously stored in those memory locations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a classic uninitialized pointer issue that falls under CWE-457, which describes the use of uninitialized variables in programming contexts. When the Trend Micro Mobile Security application processes certain memory operations, it fails to properly initialize memory pointers before reading or writing to them, creating opportunities for information leakage. This type of vulnerability allows attackers to read memory contents that contain remnants of previous data, potentially including authentication tokens, user credentials, system configurations, or other sensitive operational information. The unauthenticated nature of this attack means that remote exploitation is possible without requiring any prior access credentials or privileges.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-14082 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the leaked memory contents could provide attackers with significant insights into the target system's internal state and security configurations. This information disclosure can serve as a foundation for more sophisticated attacks, including privilege escalation attempts, targeted exploitation of other system vulnerabilities, or social engineering operations that leverage the stolen information. The vulnerability affects enterprise mobile security deployments where sensitive corporate data is processed, potentially exposing confidential business information, intellectual property, or employee data. Organizations using affected versions of Trend Micro Mobile Security face elevated risk of data breaches and unauthorized access to their mobile device management systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate remediation through official software updates provided by Trend Micro, as the vendor has released patches addressing the uninitialized pointer handling issue. System administrators should prioritize updating all affected instances of Trend Micro Mobile Security Enterprise to versions 9.8 or later where the memory management has been corrected. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments should verify that all mobile security components have been properly updated. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1005, which covers data from local system, as attackers can leverage this information disclosure to extract sensitive data from affected systems. Organizations should also implement comprehensive memory integrity checking mechanisms and consider deploying additional security controls to monitor for unusual memory access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.