CVE-2020-0297 in Android
Summary
by MITRE
In devicepolicy service, there is a possible permission bypass due to an unsafe PendingIntent. This could lead to local information disclosure with User execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-11Android ID: A-155183624
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-0297 resides within the devicepolicy service component of Android operating systems, specifically affecting Android 11 installations. This security flaw represents a critical permission bypass issue that stems from the improper handling of PendingIntent objects within the system's device policy management framework. The vulnerability manifests when the system fails to properly validate the permissions associated with PendingIntent objects, creating an avenue for unauthorized access to protected system resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the devicepolicy service's reliance on unsafe PendingIntent objects that do not adequately verify the calling application's privileges before executing sensitive operations. When a malicious application crafts a specially constructed PendingIntent and successfully triggers it through the devicepolicy service, the system processes the request without sufficient permission checks, effectively allowing unauthorized access to device policy controls and associated sensitive information. This flaw operates at the system level where the service should enforce strict access controls but instead permits execution of privileged operations through improperly validated intent objects.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for local information disclosure attacks where a malicious application with user execution privileges can exploit the unsafe PendingIntent handling to access sensitive device policy information. The attack requires only user-level privileges and does not necessitate user interaction, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited silently in the background. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks where the attacker can manipulate device policies to gain further system access or extract additional sensitive data.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control in software systems, and demonstrates how insufficient validation of permission contexts can lead to privilege escalation scenarios. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the privilege escalation and information disclosure tactics within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically targeting the device policy management services that govern system security controls. The exploitability of this vulnerability is enhanced by the fact that it operates within core system services that are typically trusted and have elevated privileges, making the impact more severe than typical application-level security flaws.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-0297 should focus on implementing proper PendingIntent validation mechanisms within the devicepolicy service and ensuring that all pending operations undergo rigorous permission verification before execution. Android security updates addressing this vulnerability typically involve strengthening the permission checking logic for device policy operations and implementing more robust validation of PendingIntent objects. Organizations should ensure timely deployment of security patches and consider implementing additional monitoring for suspicious device policy operations that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of secure coding practices in system-level components and highlights the critical need for proper permission validation even within trusted system services.