CVE-2017-17172 in LYO-L21
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei smart phones LYO-L21 with software LYO-L21C479B107, LYO-L21C479B107 have a privilege escalation vulnerability. An authenticated, local attacker can crafts malformed packets after tricking a user to install a malicious application and exploit this vulnerability when in the exception handling process. Successful exploitation may cause the attacker to obtain a higher privilege of the smart phones.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/27/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-17172 affects Huawei smartphones model LYO-L21 running specific software versions including LYO-L21C479B107. This represents a critical privilege escalation flaw that fundamentally undermines the security model of these mobile devices. The vulnerability operates through a sophisticated attack vector that requires an authenticated local attacker to first deceive users into installing malicious applications, followed by crafting specific malformed packets that trigger the exploit during exception handling processes. The security implications are severe as this flaw allows an attacker to escalate their privileges from standard user level to elevated system privileges, effectively bypassing the device's built-in security controls and access restrictions.
The technical mechanism underlying this vulnerability resides in improper exception handling within the smartphone's operating system or middleware components. When malformed packets are processed during normal application operations, the system fails to properly validate input data or handle error conditions, creating a pathway for privilege escalation. This type of vulnerability typically falls under CWE-20, which describes "Improper Input Validation," and CWE-252, which addresses "Unchecked Return Value." The flaw demonstrates a classic security weakness in defensive programming practices where the system does not adequately protect against malformed data inputs that could alter normal execution flow and potentially grant unauthorized access to system resources. The exception handling process becomes a critical attack surface where insufficient validation allows crafted inputs to trigger unintended behavior that elevates privileges.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to mobile device security as it requires only local authentication and user interaction to exploit. The attack chain begins with social engineering to convince users to install malicious applications, which then serves as a foothold for the privilege escalation exploit. The successful exploitation results in attackers gaining system-level privileges that could enable them to access sensitive user data, modify system configurations, install persistent backdoors, or extract confidential information from the device. This vulnerability directly impacts the CIA triad by compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of mobile device data and operations. The implications extend beyond individual user privacy to potentially enable large-scale surveillance operations or targeted attacks against specific individuals or organizations.
Security mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate software updates and patches provided by Huawei to address the specific exception handling flaw in the affected software versions. System administrators and users must implement strict application installation policies, including verification of application sources and implementation of mobile device management solutions that can detect and prevent installation of malicious applications. Network monitoring should be enhanced to identify and block malformed packets that could be used in exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of secure coding practices and comprehensive input validation in mobile operating system development. Organizations should consider implementing behavioral monitoring systems that can detect anomalous privilege escalation attempts and establish incident response procedures for potential exploitation of similar vulnerabilities. Additionally, user security awareness training should emphasize the dangers of installing applications from untrusted sources and the importance of keeping mobile devices updated with the latest security patches, as this vulnerability represents a clear example of how social engineering combined with technical exploitation can bypass traditional security controls.