CVE-2018-16264 in Tizen
Summary
by MITRE
The BlueZ system service in Tizen allows an unprivileged process to partially control Bluetooth or acquire sensitive information, due to improper D-Bus security policy configurations. This affects Tizen before 5.0 M1, and Tizen-based firmwares including Samsung Galaxy Gear series before build RE2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/25/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-16264 represents a critical security flaw within the BlueZ Bluetooth stack implementation on Tizen operating systems. This issue stems from inadequate D-Bus security policy configurations that allow unprivileged processes to exploit partial control over Bluetooth functionality and potentially access sensitive information. The flaw exists in the system service layer of BlueZ, which is responsible for managing Bluetooth communications and device interactions within the Tizen environment. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform unauthorized Bluetooth operations without proper authentication or authorization, creating a significant risk to device security and user privacy.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper implementation of D-Bus access controls within the BlueZ service. D-Bus is a message bus system that enables communication between different processes on a Linux-based system, and when security policies are not properly configured, malicious or unprivileged processes can intercept, manipulate, or access Bluetooth-related D-Bus interfaces. This misconfiguration allows attackers to invoke Bluetooth control functions that should be restricted to privileged system processes only, effectively bypassing the intended security boundaries. The vulnerability specifically affects the Tizen operating system's Bluetooth subsystem where D-Bus method calls are not properly validated against user permissions or process privileges.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-16264 is substantial, particularly for devices running Tizen versions prior to 5.0 M1 and Samsung Galaxy Gear series before build RE2. Unprivileged attackers can exploit this flaw to perform various malicious activities including unauthorized Bluetooth device discovery, connection establishment, or data interception. The vulnerability creates opportunities for man-in-the-middle attacks, where attackers can position themselves between Bluetooth devices and potentially access or modify communication streams. Additionally, the ability to partially control Bluetooth functionality means that attackers could potentially disrupt device operations, initiate unauthorized connections, or extract sensitive data through Bluetooth interfaces. This vulnerability particularly impacts wearable devices and IoT systems where Bluetooth connectivity is essential for device functionality and user interaction.
Organizations and device manufacturers should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability by updating to Tizen 5.0 M1 or later versions where the D-Bus security policies have been properly configured. System administrators should review and validate the D-Bus security configurations on affected devices to ensure that Bluetooth-related interfaces are properly restricted to authorized processes only. The implementation of proper access controls and privilege separation is essential to prevent unauthorized Bluetooth operations. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control issues, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1068 which involves exploiting legitimate credentials for privilege escalation. Device manufacturers should also consider implementing additional monitoring and logging mechanisms to detect unauthorized Bluetooth access attempts and establish baseline security configurations for all Bluetooth services.