CVE-2018-7993 in Mate 10
Summary
by MITRE
HUAWEI Mate 10 smartphones with versions earlier than ALP-AL00 8.1.0.311 have a use after free vulnerability on mediaserver component. An attacker tricks the user install a malicious application, which make the software to reference memory after it has been freed. Successful exploit could cause execution of arbitrary code.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7993 affects Huawei Mate 10 smartphones running software versions prior to ALP-AL00 8.1.0.311 and represents a critical use-after-free flaw within the mediaserver component of the Android-based operating system. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to reference memory after it has been freed by the system, creating a scenario where malicious code can manipulate the freed memory location to execute unauthorized operations. The mediaserver component is responsible for handling multimedia processing tasks including audio and video decoding, encoding, and playback operations, making it a prime target for exploitation due to its extensive interaction with user-controllable data inputs.
The exploitation pathway for this vulnerability involves social engineering techniques where an attacker convinces a user to install a malicious application that triggers the flawed memory management behavior within the mediaserver. When the malicious application processes multimedia content through the vulnerable mediaserver, it causes the system to free memory associated with media processing structures while still maintaining references to that memory space. This creates a condition where subsequent operations can write arbitrary data to the freed memory location, potentially allowing attackers to overwrite critical program structures or function pointers. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-416 as a use-after-free condition, which is a well-documented weakness that frequently leads to remote code execution in mobile operating systems due to the privileged nature of system services.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple arbitrary code execution, as it provides attackers with elevated privileges within the device's operating environment. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to bypass security restrictions, access sensitive user data, modify system configurations, or establish persistent backdoors on the device. The mediaserver component typically runs with high privileges due to its role in system-level multimedia processing, meaning that successful exploitation could result in complete device compromise. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as attackers could leverage the arbitrary code execution capability to deploy additional malicious payloads or establish remote access capabilities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-7993 primarily involve applying the official software update released by Huawei that patches the memory management flaw in the mediaserver component. Users should immediately update their Huawei Mate 10 devices to the ALP-AL00 8.1.0.311 version or later to eliminate the vulnerability. Additionally, security best practices recommend avoiding installation of applications from untrusted sources and maintaining regular security updates for all mobile devices. Organizations should implement mobile device management policies that enforce automatic security updates and monitor for potential exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management in system services and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of privileged components that handle user-controllable inputs.