CVE-2017-15330 in Vicky
Summary
by MITRE
The Flp Driver in some Huawei smartphones of the software Vicky-AL00AC00B124D, Vicky-AL00AC00B157D, Vicky-AL00AC00B167 has a double free vulnerability. An attacker can trick a user to install a malicious application which has a high privilege to exploit this vulnerability. Successful exploitation may cause denial of service (DoS) attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2023
The CVE-2017-15330 vulnerability represents a critical double free flaw within the Flp Driver component of specific Huawei smartphone models including Vicky-AL00AC00B124D, Vicky-AL00AC00B157D, and Vicky-AL00AC00B167. This vulnerability resides in the underlying firmware layer that manages location services and positioning functionality, making it particularly dangerous due to its privileged execution context. The Flp Driver operates with elevated privileges to ensure proper communication between hardware sensors and location services, creating an attack surface that can be exploited through malicious applications. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-415, which specifically addresses double free conditions in memory management where the same memory block is freed twice, potentially leading to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to convince a user to install a malicious application that can leverage the elevated privileges of the Flp Driver. The attack vector typically involves social engineering techniques to trick users into downloading and installing compromised applications from untrusted sources. Once installed, the malicious application can trigger the double free condition by manipulating the driver's memory management routines through crafted input or by exploiting improper memory handling in the driver's implementation. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple denial of service, as the memory corruption can potentially be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with system-level privileges. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers 'Local Privilege Escalation' through the exploitation of system vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of successful exploitation includes complete system compromise, allowing attackers to gain root access and execute malicious code with full system privileges. The denial of service aspect of this vulnerability can be particularly disruptive as it can render location services completely inoperative, affecting critical applications that depend on GPS and positioning data. The vulnerability affects devices running specific firmware versions, indicating that this is likely a targeted issue that was present in certain production builds but not others. This suggests that Huawei may have patched the issue in subsequent firmware updates, but users with affected devices remain at risk. The privilege escalation aspect of this vulnerability makes it particularly concerning for mobile environments where users often trust applications with elevated permissions, and the Flp Driver's role in location services makes it an attractive target for attackers seeking persistent access to device functionality.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-15330 should focus on immediate firmware updates from Huawei to address the underlying double free condition in the Flp Driver. Users should avoid installing applications from untrusted sources and maintain strict application permission controls, particularly for location and sensor access. Device administrators should implement mobile device management solutions that can detect and block malicious applications that attempt to exploit such vulnerabilities. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper memory management in kernel-level drivers and emphasizes the need for comprehensive security testing of firmware components before deployment. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual memory allocation patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, as the double free condition can manifest through specific memory corruption patterns that are detectable through system monitoring. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of secure coding practices in system-level components and the potential for seemingly minor memory management flaws to result in significant security compromises.