CVE-2017-8166 in Honor V9
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei mobile phones Honor V9 with the software versions before Duke-AL20C00B195 have an App Lock bypass vulnerability. An attacker could perform specific operations to bypass the App Lock to use apps on a target mobile phone.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8166 represents a critical security flaw in Huawei Honor V9 smartphones running software versions prior to Duke-AL20C00B195. This issue specifically affects the application lock mechanism that is designed to prevent unauthorized access to installed applications on the device. The flaw allows malicious actors to circumvent the intended security controls that should restrict access to protected applications, thereby undermining the device's overall security posture.
This vulnerability stems from inadequate implementation of the app lock feature's authentication mechanism, creating a bypass path that attackers can exploit through specific operational procedures. The technical nature of the flaw suggests a weakness in the authorization flow where the system fails to properly validate user credentials or session states when attempting to access locked applications. Such implementation gaps typically arise from insufficient input validation, improper state management, or flawed cryptographic operations within the security framework.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to individual applications. Attackers who successfully exploit this bypass can potentially gain access to sensitive personal data, financial information, and private communications stored within the targeted applications. The vulnerability affects the fundamental security model of the device by allowing unauthorized users to bypass the intended protection mechanisms, creating a persistent threat vector that remains active until the software is properly updated. This type of vulnerability particularly impacts user privacy and data integrity, as it enables unauthorized access to applications that users expect to be protected.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-613, which addresses insufficient session expiration, and potentially relates to CWE-312, concerning exposure of sensitive data through cleartext storage or transmission. From an attacker perspective, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1550.001, which covers legitimate credentials, and T1070.004, involving indicator removal on host. The vulnerability represents a critical weakness in the device's access control implementation and requires immediate remediation through proper software updates. Organizations and users should prioritize applying the vendor-provided security patches to mitigate the risk of unauthorized application access and protect sensitive data stored on affected devices.