CVE-2017-8172 in P10
Summary
by MITRE
Isub service in P10 Plus and P10 smart phones with earlier than VKY-AL00C00B157 versions and earlier than VTR-AL00C00B157 versions has a denial of service (DoS) vulnerability. An attacker tricks a user into installing a malicious application on the smart phone, and the application can send given parameter to specific interface, which make a out-of-bounds array access that results in smart phone restart.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8172 affects Huawei P10 Plus and P10 smartphones running specific firmware versions prior to VKY-AL00C00B157 and VTR-AL00C00B157. This represents a critical denial of service weakness within the iSub service component that operates on these mobile devices. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation mechanisms within the system's interface handling code, creating a pathway for malicious exploitation through crafted parameter inputs. The iSub service typically manages subtitle functionality for multimedia content, making it a legitimate system component that users interact with regularly. Attackers can exploit this weakness by tricking users into installing malicious applications that leverage the vulnerable interface to execute malicious code sequences.
The technical flaw manifests as an out-of-bounds array access condition that occurs when specific parameters are sent to the targeted interface within the iSub service. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-129 category of Improper Validation of Array Index, which represents a fundamental weakness in input validation that allows attackers to manipulate memory access patterns. The vulnerability creates a condition where the application fails to properly validate array boundaries before accessing memory locations, resulting in a memory corruption state. When the malicious application sends specifically crafted parameters to the vulnerable interface, the system attempts to access array elements beyond their allocated memory boundaries, triggering an immediate system crash. This memory access violation causes the smartphone to automatically restart as a protective mechanism against the corrupted system state.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-8172 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise device availability and user experience. The vulnerability enables attackers to perform persistent denial of service attacks that can render the smartphone temporarily unusable, forcing users to restart their devices manually. This creates a significant inconvenience factor for users who may experience repeated system restarts when the malicious application is active. From a security perspective, the vulnerability represents a privilege escalation vector that could potentially be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks if combined with other weaknesses. The attack requires user interaction to install the malicious application, which aligns with the ATT&CK technique T1068 for Local Privilege Escalation through social engineering and user deception methods.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate protection and long-term system hardening. The primary recommendation involves updating affected Huawei P10 Plus and P10 devices to firmware versions VKY-AL00C00B157 or later, which contain patches specifically designed to address the array validation issues. System administrators and users should implement application whitelisting policies to prevent installation of untrusted applications that could potentially exploit this vulnerability. Network-level monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous parameter patterns being sent to system interfaces that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, regular security audits of mobile applications should be conducted to identify potential malicious behavior patterns that could exploit similar weaknesses. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust input validation in mobile operating systems and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of system services before deployment. Organizations should consider implementing mobile device management solutions that can automatically detect and prevent exploitation attempts targeting known vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of patched firmware to ensure that the vulnerability has been properly addressed without introducing regressions in system functionality.