CVE-2019-5302 in Huawei
Summary
by MITRE
There are two denial of service vulnerabilities on some Huawei smartphones. An attacker may send specially crafted TD-SCDMA messages from a rogue base station to the affected devices. Due to insufficient input validation of two values when parsing the messages, successful exploit may cause device abnormal. This is 1 out of 2 vulnerabilities. Different than CVE-2020-5303. Affected products are: ALP-AL00B: earlier than 9.1.0.333(C00E333R2P1T8) ALP-L09: earlier than 9.1.0.300(C432E4R1P9T8) ALP-L29: earlier than 9.1.0.315(C636E5R1P13T8) BLA-L29C: earlier than 9.1.0.321(C636E4R1P14T8), earlier than 9.1.0.330(C432E6R1P12T8), earlier than 9.1.0.302(C635E4R1P13T8) Berkeley-AL20: earlier than 9.1.0.333(C00E333R2P1T8) Berkeley-L09: earlier than 9.1.0.350(C10E3R1P14T8), earlier than 9.1.0.351(C432E5R1P13T8), earlier than 9.1.0.350(C636E4R1P13T8) Charlotte-L09C: earlier than 9.1.0.311(C185E4R1P11T8), earlier than 9.1.0.345(C432E8R1P11T8) Charlotte-L29C: earlier than 9.1.0.325(C185E4R1P11T8), earlier than 9.1.0.335(C636E3R1P13T8), earlier than 9.1.0.345(C432E8R1P11T8), earlier than 9.1.0.336(C605E3R1P12T8) Columbia-AL10B: earlier than 9.1.0.333(C00E333R1P1T8) Columbia-L29D: earlier than 9.1.0.350(C461E3R1P11T8), earlier than 9.1.0.350(C185E3R1P12T8), earlier than 9.1.0.350(C10E5R1P14T8), earlier than 9.1.0.351(C432E5R1P13T8) Cornell-AL00A: earlier than 9.1.0.333(C00E333R1P1T8) Cornell-L29A: earlier than 9.1.0.328(C185E1R1P9T8), earlier than 9.1.0.328(C432E1R1P9T8), earlier than 9.1.0.330(C461E1R1P9T8), earlier than 9.1.0.328(C636E2R1P12T8) Emily-L09C: earlier than 9.1.0.336(C605E4R1P12T8), earlier than 9.1.0.311(C185E2R1P12T8), earlier than 9.1.0.345(C432E10R1P12T8) Emily-L29C: earlier than 9.1.0.311(C605E2R1P12T8), earlier than 9.1.0.311(C636E7R1P13T8), earlier than 9.1.0.311(C432E7R1P11T8) Ever-L29B: earlier than 9.1.0.311(C185E3R3P1), earlier than 9.1.0.310(C636E3R2P1), earlier than 9.1.0.310(C432E3R1P12) HUAWEI Mate 20: earlier than 9.1.0.131(C00E131R3P1) HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro: earlier than 9.1.0.310(C185E10R2P1) HUAWEI Mate 20 RS: earlier than 9.1.0.135(C786E133R3P1) HUAWEI Mate 20 X: earlier than 9.1.0.135(C00E133R2P1) HUAWEI P20: earlier than 9.1.0.333(C00E333R1P1T8) HUAWEI P20 Pro: earlier than 9.1.0.333(C00E333R1P1T8) HUAWEI P30: earlier than 9.1.0.193 HUAWEI P30 Pro: earlier than 9.1.0.186(C00E180R2P1) HUAWEI Y9 2019: earlier than 9.1.0.220(C605E3R1P1T8) HUAWEI nova lite 3: earlier than 9.1.0.305(C635E8R2P2) Honor 10 Lite: earlier than 9.1.0.283(C605E8R2P2) Honor 8X: earlier than 9.1.0.221(C461E2R1P1T8) Honor View 20: earlier than 9.1.0.238(C432E1R3P1) Jackman-L22: earlier than 9.1.0.247(C636E2R4P1T8) Paris-L21B: earlier than 9.1.0.331(C432E1R1P2T8) Paris-L21MEB: earlier than 9.1.0.331(C185E4R1P3T8) Paris-L29B: earlier than 9.1.0.331(C636E1R1P3T8) Sydney-AL00: earlier than 9.1.0.212(C00E62R1P7T8) Sydney-L21: earlier than 9.1.0.215(C432E1R1P1T8), earlier than 9.1.0.213(C185E1R1P1T8) Sydney-L21BR: earlier than 9.1.0.213(C185E1R1P2T8) Sydney-L22: earlier than 9.1.0.258(C636E1R1P1T8) Sydney-L22BR: earlier than 9.1.0.258(C636E1R1P1T8) SydneyM-AL00: earlier than 9.1.0.228(C00E78R1P7T8) SydneyM-L01: earlier than 9.1.0.215(C782E2R1P1T8), earlier than 9.1.0.213(C185E1R1P1T8), earlier than 9.1.0.270(C432E3R1P1T8) SydneyM-L03: earlier than 9.1.0.217(C605E1R1P1T8) SydneyM-L21: earlier than 9.1.0.221(C461E1R1P1T8), earlier than 9.1.0.215(C432E4R1P1T8) SydneyM-L22: earlier than 9.1.0.259(C185E1R1P2T8), earlier than 9.1.0.220(C635E1R1P2T8), earlier than 9.1.0.216(C569E1R1P1T8) SydneyM-L23: earlier than 9.1.0.226(C605E2R1P1T8) Yale-L21A: earlier than 9.1.0.154(C432E2R3P2), earlier than 9.1.0.154(C461E2R2P1), earlier than 9.1.0.154(C636E2R2P1) Honor 20: earlier than 9.1.0.152(C00E150R5P1) Honor Magic2: earlier than 10.0.0.187 Honor V20: earlier than 9.1.0.234(C00E234R4P3)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/03/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2019-5302 represents a significant denial of service threat targeting Huawei smartphones that utilize TD-SCDMA wireless communication protocols. This issue stems from inadequate input validation within the device's radio frequency processing stack when handling specially crafted TD-SCDMA messages transmitted by rogue base stations. The flaw specifically affects two distinct values during message parsing, creating opportunities for attackers to induce abnormal device behavior through maliciously constructed network traffic. Such attacks exploit the inherent trust models in cellular communication systems where devices accept and process messages from nearby base stations without sufficient validation of message integrity or authenticity. The vulnerability demonstrates a clear weakness in the input sanitization mechanisms that should normally protect against malformed or malicious data injection attacks in mobile device radio stacks.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation as a fundamental security weakness in software systems. This flaw operates at the network protocol level within the mobile device's baseband processor, where incoming TD-SCDMA frames are parsed and processed before being forwarded to higher-level application layers. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can potentially cause devices to crash, freeze, or enter unstable operational states by transmitting carefully constructed TD-SCDMA control messages that trigger buffer overflows, integer underflows, or other parsing anomalies within the affected device's communication stack. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Huawei smartphone models across multiple product lines, indicating a systemic issue in the wireless protocol implementation rather than isolated device-specific problems.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for affected users as it can be exploited remotely without requiring physical access to the target device. The attack vector through rogue base stations means that users in proximity to malicious network infrastructure could be targeted, potentially creating localized denial of service scenarios. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in environments where cellular connectivity is critical, such as emergency services, industrial applications, or locations where mobile communication is essential for operations. The widespread impact across numerous Huawei device models suggests that attackers could potentially compromise large numbers of devices simultaneously, making this a high-priority security concern for both individual users and enterprise deployments. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would fall under the T1499.004 technique for network denial of service attacks, specifically targeting mobile device communication protocols.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-5302 primarily involve firmware updates and patches released by Huawei to address the specific input validation flaws in the TD-SCDMA message parsing routines. Organizations and users should prioritize applying the latest security patches provided by Huawei, particularly those versions that specifically address the mentioned build numbers and software versions. Network administrators should consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect anomalous TD-SCDMA traffic patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation of this vulnerability. Device manufacturers should also consider implementing additional network-level protections such as message filtering or anomaly detection systems that can identify and block suspicious TD-SCDMA control messages before they reach vulnerable device components. In environments where cellular communication is critical, implementing redundant communication methods or backup connectivity options can help mitigate the impact of potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of robust input validation in mobile device firmware and the need for continuous security assessments of wireless communication protocols to prevent similar issues from emerging in future implementations.