CVE-2019-5236 in Emily-L29C
Summary
by MITRE
Huawei smart phones Emily-L29C with versions of 8.1.0.132a(C432), 8.1.0.135(C782), 8.1.0.154(C10), 8.1.0.154(C461), 8.1.0.154(C635), 8.1.0.156(C185), 8.1.0.156(C605), 8.1.0.159(C636) have a double free vulnerability. An attacker can trick a user to click a URL to exploit this vulnerability. Successful exploitation may cause the affected phone abnormal.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/21/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-5236 represents a critical double free vulnerability affecting specific Huawei smartphone models including the Emily-L29C with various firmware versions. This type of vulnerability falls under the common weakness enumeration CWE-415 which describes improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation operations. The flaw manifests when the device processes maliciously crafted URLs that trigger improper memory management sequences, leading to potential system instability and security compromise.
The technical implementation of this double free vulnerability occurs within the smartphone's operating system or application framework where memory allocation functions are called twice on the same memory block without proper validation. When an attacker successfully lures a user to click a malicious URL, the system's memory management routines execute the free operation twice on the same allocated memory segment. This condition creates a state where the memory block is freed, potentially modified by other processes, and then freed again, causing unpredictable behavior and potential exploitation opportunities for malicious actors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system instability as it creates potential attack vectors for remote code execution and privilege escalation. The fact that exploitation requires user interaction through URL click makes this a sophisticated social engineering target that could be embedded within phishing campaigns or malicious websites. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability could be leveraged as part of initial access techniques or privilege escalation methods, particularly when combined with other attack vectors that might be present in the device ecosystem.
The affected Huawei smartphone models with firmware versions 8.1.0.132a(C432), 8.1.0.135(C782), 8.1.0.154(C10), 8.1.0.154(C461), 8.1.0.154(C635), 8.1.0.156(C185), 8.1.0.156(C605), and 8.1.0.159(C636) represent a significant attack surface due to their widespread deployment and the nature of the vulnerability. The double free condition could potentially be exploited to manipulate system memory structures, leading to denial of service conditions or more severe outcomes including unauthorized access to device functionality and data.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate firmware updates from Huawei to address the memory management flaw, implementation of network-based filtering to block suspicious URLs, and user education programs to reduce social engineering risks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management practices in mobile operating systems and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of mobile device firmware. Organizations should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and maintain updated threat intelligence feeds to identify malicious URLs associated with this vulnerability. Additionally, the security community should consider this vulnerability as a potential indicator for broader exploitation patterns that could affect similar memory management implementations across different mobile platforms.