CVE-2019-5216 in Honor V10
Summary
by MITRE
There is a race condition vulnerability on Huawei Honor V10 smartphones versions earlier than Berkeley-AL20 9.0.0.156(C00E156R2P14T8), Honor 10 smartphones versions earlier than Columbia-AL10B 9.0.0.156(C00E156R1P20T8) and Honor Play smartphones versions earlier than Cornell-AL00A 9.0.0.156(C00E156R1P13T8). An attacker tricks the user into installing a malicious application, which makes multiple processes to operate the same variate at the same time. Successful exploit could cause execution of malicious code.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/28/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-5216 represents a critical race condition flaw affecting multiple Huawei Honor smartphone models including the Honor V10, Honor 10, and Honor Play devices. This security weakness stems from improper synchronization mechanisms within the device's operating system, specifically within the Android framework that governs process management and resource allocation. The vulnerability manifests when multiple processes attempt to access and modify the same variable simultaneously without adequate protective measures, creating a temporal window where malicious code can exploit the inconsistent state of shared resources. The affected versions of these smartphones operate on Android 9.0.0.156 with specific build identifiers indicating the vulnerable firmware releases. This race condition vulnerability falls under CWE-362, which specifically addresses concurrent execution use of a resource or race condition, making it particularly dangerous in mobile environments where multiple applications and system processes frequently interact with shared memory spaces. The attack vector requires user interaction through social engineering or phishing techniques to convince victims to install malicious applications that are specifically designed to exploit this timing vulnerability.
The technical exploitation of CVE-2019-5216 occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious application that deliberately creates multiple threads or processes that attempt to manipulate the same shared variable or memory location. The race condition allows for unpredictable execution paths where the malicious code can intercept or modify the variable's state during the brief window between when one process reads the variable and when another process writes to it. This flaw enables attackers to achieve privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution within the device's security boundaries, potentially allowing full system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the system level where legitimate applications and system services share common resources, making the exploitation more stealthy and harder to detect. The timing aspect of the race condition means that successful exploitation depends on precise synchronization of process execution, which can be achieved through careful application design that leverages the inherent concurrency features of modern mobile operating systems. This vulnerability directly relates to ATT&CK technique T1059.001 which covers command and scripting interpreter, as the successful exploitation would likely involve executing malicious code through the compromised system processes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized code execution to potentially compromise the entire device security architecture. Attackers could leverage this race condition to gain elevated privileges, access sensitive user data, install persistent backdoors, or even modify system firmware components. The affected devices represent a significant attack surface given their widespread deployment in enterprise and consumer environments, where users may unknowingly install malicious applications through various distribution channels. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple device models suggests a systemic issue within Huawei's implementation of Android's process synchronization mechanisms, indicating that similar flaws may exist in other components of the system. Organizations and individuals using these vulnerable devices face heightened risk of data breaches, privacy violations, and potential financial losses through targeted attacks exploiting this weakness. The exploitation of such vulnerabilities often follows the ATT&CK framework's initial access phase where adversaries establish footholds through malicious applications, subsequently moving through privilege escalation and persistence techniques to maintain long-term access to compromised systems. The lack of proper synchronization primitives in the affected firmware versions creates an environment where attackers can reliably predict and manipulate system behavior through carefully timed process execution sequences, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where device security is paramount.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-5216 should focus on immediate firmware updates from Huawei to address the underlying race condition in the affected device models. Users must be educated about the importance of only installing applications from trusted sources and avoiding suspicious links or downloads that could introduce malicious software designed to exploit this vulnerability. System administrators should implement mobile device management policies that restrict application installation and monitor for suspicious behavior patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. Network-level monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect anomalous process behavior or unexpected code execution patterns that may indicate successful exploitation of this race condition. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent unauthorized applications from running on affected devices until proper security patches are deployed. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper concurrent programming practices and the need for rigorous testing of synchronization mechanisms in mobile operating system implementations. Security teams should conduct regular vulnerability assessments targeting similar race condition vulnerabilities in other system components and ensure that all device firmware is kept current with security patches from manufacturers. Given the nature of this vulnerability, it is recommended that affected devices be isolated from sensitive networks until proper updates are applied, and that incident response procedures be established to quickly identify and respond to potential exploitation attempts.