CVE-2017-8178 in Email App
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei Email APP Vicky-AL00 smartphones with software of earlier than VKY-AL00C00B171 versions has a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to send email that storing malicious code to a smartphone and waiting for a user to access this email that triggers execution of the code. An exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary script code on the affected device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2023
The CVE-2017-8178 vulnerability represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Huawei's Email application running on Vicky-AL00 smartphones with software versions prior to VKY-AL00C00B171. This vulnerability resides within the email client's handling of incoming messages, specifically in how it processes and renders email content without adequate sanitization of user-supplied data. The flaw enables malicious actors to embed malicious scripts within email messages that persist on the device until explicitly accessed by the user. This stored XSS vulnerability operates through a classic attack vector where an attacker crafts a specially crafted email containing malicious JavaScript code within HTML content, which gets stored on the device's email database. When a victim opens the malicious email, the embedded script executes within the context of the Email application, potentially compromising the device's security. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and demonstrates how mobile email applications can become attack vectors for executing arbitrary code on mobile devices. The attack requires minimal user interaction beyond opening the malicious email, making it particularly dangerous in phishing scenarios.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker sends an email containing malicious script code that gets stored in the device's email cache or database. The Huawei Email application fails to properly sanitize or escape HTML content when rendering incoming emails, allowing attackers to inject JavaScript payloads that execute when the user accesses the compromised message. This stored nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious code persists even after the initial email delivery, making it particularly insidious as multiple users could be affected by the same malicious message over time. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple script execution to potentially enabling full device compromise, as the malicious code could access device storage, intercept communications, or even leverage additional vulnerabilities present in the email application's codebase. The exploit chain typically involves crafting HTML emails with embedded scripts that can access the device's local storage or communicate with external attacker-controlled servers, creating a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for data exfiltration or further attack propagation.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-8178 extends significantly beyond individual user compromise, potentially affecting enterprise environments where Huawei smartphone users may access corporate email systems. Mobile email applications represent a critical attack surface for organizations, as they often contain sensitive corporate data and may have elevated privileges within the device's security model. When exploited, this vulnerability could enable attackers to access email accounts containing confidential business information, compromise user credentials, or serve as a foothold for more extensive network attacks. The vulnerability's remote exploitation capability means that attackers can target users without requiring physical access to the device, making it particularly dangerous in corporate environments where mobile devices may be used to access sensitive systems. Organizations relying on Huawei smartphones for business communications face significant risk from this vulnerability, as the stored nature of the XSS attack means that a single compromised email could potentially affect multiple users within an organization. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers spearphishing attacks, demonstrating how email-based attacks can be weaponized to exploit mobile device vulnerabilities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-8178 primarily focus on software updates and user awareness measures, though the latter provides only partial protection given the vulnerability's automated execution nature. The most effective remediation involves updating Huawei smartphone software to version VKY-AL00C00B171 or later, which includes proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms that prevent malicious scripts from executing within the email application context. Organizations should implement comprehensive mobile device management policies that ensure all devices receive timely security updates and maintain current software versions. Network-level protections such as email filtering solutions can help identify and quarantine potentially malicious emails before they reach end users, though these measures cannot prevent exploitation once the vulnerability has been patched. User education remains important but is insufficient as a standalone defense, as users may still inadvertently access malicious emails even with awareness training. Additional defensive measures include implementing email security gateways that can detect and block XSS payloads in email content, maintaining network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, and establishing incident response procedures specifically tailored to mobile device compromises. The vulnerability's presence in the email application highlights the importance of mobile application security testing and the need for regular security assessments of mobile client applications to identify and remediate similar stored XSS vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by threat actors.