CVE-2018-21073 in Samsung
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered on Samsung mobile devices with N(7.x) and O(8.0) (Galaxy S9+, Galaxy S9, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S8, Note 8). There is access to Clipboard content in the locked state via the Edge panel. The Samsung ID is SVE-2017-10748 (May 2018).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/07/2020
This vulnerability resides in the Samsung mobile operating system version n7.x and o8.0 which affects several flagship devices including galaxy s9+, galaxy s9, galaxy s8+, galaxy s8, and note 8. The issue stems from improper access controls within the edge panel functionality that allows unauthorized access to clipboard content even when the device is locked. The edge panel feature typically provides quick access to frequently used applications and functions, but in this case it creates an exploitable pathway for information disclosure. The vulnerability was identified and tracked under the Samsung internal identifier sve-2017-10748, highlighting the severity of the access control flaw that existed in the system's security model. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the device's security architecture where the edge panel interface bypasses the normal authentication mechanisms required to access sensitive data.
The technical flaw manifests through the edge panel's implementation which fails to properly enforce the device's locked state security restrictions. When a user locks their device, normal security protocols should prevent access to clipboard content, which may contain sensitive information such as passwords, personal messages, or confidential data. However, the edge panel interface provides a direct pathway that circumvents these security measures, allowing clipboard content to be accessed without proper authentication. This occurs because the edge panel functionality does not properly validate the device's locked state before presenting clipboard data, creating an information disclosure vulnerability that directly violates the principle of least privilege. The implementation likely lacks proper state checking mechanisms that would normally verify the device's security context before exposing sensitive information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it compromises the fundamental security model of mobile devices by allowing unauthorized access to clipboard content in a locked state. An attacker with physical access to a locked device could potentially extract sensitive information without needing to bypass the device's lock screen authentication mechanisms. This vulnerability affects a wide range of Samsung devices that were popular in the market, potentially exposing millions of users to information disclosure risks. The implications extend beyond simple data exposure as clipboard content often contains credentials, personal communications, financial information, and other sensitive data that could be leveraged for identity theft, financial fraud, or other malicious activities. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise users who may store sensitive corporate data in their clipboard, creating potential data leakage scenarios that could impact organizational security posture.
The vulnerability aligns with common weakness enumerations such as cwe-284 which describes improper access control and cwe-312 which addresses exposure of sensitive information. From an attack perspective this issue maps to techniques described in the attack tree framework where attackers can exploit information disclosure vulnerabilities to gain access to sensitive data. The attack vector requires physical access to the device and leverages the edge panel functionality which is typically enabled by default, making exploitation relatively straightforward. The vulnerability demonstrates poor separation of concerns in the device's security architecture where the edge panel interface does not properly integrate with the device's lock state management system. Organizations should consider this vulnerability in their risk assessment frameworks as it represents a fundamental flaw in device security that affects user privacy and data protection. The recommended mitigation involves updating to patched firmware versions that properly enforce access controls and validate device state before exposing clipboard content through edge panel interfaces.