CVE-2019-14620 in Wireless Bluetooth
Summary
by MITRE
Insufficient control flow management for some Intel(R) Wireless Bluetooth(R) products may allow an unprivileged user to potentially enable denial of service via adjacent access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/13/2020
This vulnerability affects Intel wireless bluetooth products and represents a control flow management weakness that could be exploited by adjacent attackers to cause denial of service conditions. The flaw stems from inadequate handling of control flow within the bluetooth stack implementation, creating potential pathways for malicious actors to disrupt normal system operations. The vulnerability specifically targets Intel wireless bluetooth hardware components that are susceptible to adjacent network access attacks, where an attacker must be physically present within the wireless range of the affected device to exploit the weakness.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under insufficient control flow management, which is categorized as a weakness that can lead to various security issues including privilege escalation and system instability. Control flow management failures typically occur when software does not properly validate or handle the execution path of programs, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate program behavior through crafted inputs or sequences. This particular flaw demonstrates how improper control flow handling in wireless communication protocols can create exploitable conditions that affect system availability. The vulnerability is classified as a control flow management issue that can be leveraged to cause system disruption through adjacent access methods, making it particularly concerning for wireless environments where physical proximity equates to potential compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially affect the overall reliability and security posture of affected systems. When exploited successfully, the vulnerability could allow an unprivileged user to cause persistent service disruptions that might require manual intervention to resolve. The adjacent access requirement means that exploitation is limited to physical proximity scenarios, but this still represents a significant risk in environments where wireless devices are deployed in public or shared spaces. Organizations utilizing Intel wireless bluetooth products in enterprise or consumer environments may face service interruptions that affect productivity and user experience, particularly in scenarios where wireless connectivity is critical for system operations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on both immediate patch deployment and operational security enhancements. Intel has released firmware and driver updates to address the control flow management issues within the affected bluetooth implementations, making patch management a critical first step in remediation efforts. Network segmentation and physical security controls can help reduce the attack surface by limiting adjacent access opportunities to affected devices. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual bluetooth activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while access controls should be implemented to restrict bluetooth functionality to authorized users only. Organizations should also consider implementing wireless intrusion detection systems that can identify and alert on suspicious bluetooth behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper control flow management in wireless protocols and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of wireless communication stacks to identify similar weaknesses before they can be exploited by malicious actors. This issue aligns with attack patterns documented in the attack tree framework where adjacent access represents a common initial compromise vector for wireless device attacks, making it a significant concern for organizations implementing wireless infrastructure solutions.