CVE-2020-0290 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
In PackageManager, there is a missing permission check. This could lead to local information disclosure across users with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-11Android ID: A-153996866
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-0290 represents a critical permission bypass flaw within the Android PackageManager component that affects Android 11 systems. This issue stems from a missing permission check that allows unauthorized access to sensitive information across different user profiles on the same device. The vulnerability resides in the core system component responsible for managing applications and their installation processes, making it particularly dangerous as it operates at a fundamental level of the Android operating system architecture.
The technical nature of this flaw involves the PackageManager's failure to properly validate permissions when accessing certain system resources or application metadata. This missing authorization check creates a path for malicious applications or processes running under one user context to potentially read or extract information belonging to other user profiles on the same device. The vulnerability does not require any user interaction for exploitation, meaning it can be triggered automatically without any deliberate action from the end user. This characteristic significantly increases the attack surface and makes the vulnerability particularly concerning from a security standpoint.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables cross-user information disclosure, which could expose sensitive data such as application configurations, user credentials, or other personal information stored within the PackageManager's database. The implications extend beyond simple data exposure as this flaw could potentially enable more sophisticated attacks where an attacker might use the leaked information to conduct further exploitation attempts. The lack of additional execution privileges required for exploitation means that even basic applications with minimal permissions could leverage this vulnerability to access restricted data. This represents a fundamental breakdown in Android's multi-user security model and could compromise the isolation guarantees that separate user profiles are supposed to provide.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control issues in software systems, and could be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" through the use of system-level vulnerabilities. Security researchers have noted that this flaw particularly affects Android 11 implementations and could potentially be exploited to gather intelligence about other user profiles on the device. Organizations and users should consider this vulnerability as part of their broader security posture assessment, particularly in environments where multiple user profiles are utilized or where device security is paramount. The fix for this vulnerability typically involves implementing proper permission validation within the PackageManager component and ensuring that access controls are properly enforced between different user contexts.