CVE-2020-9145 in Huawei
Summary
by MITRE • 01/14/2021
There is an Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability in some Huawei smartphone. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may cause out-of-bounds access to the physical memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/13/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-9145 represents a critical out-of-bounds write flaw discovered in certain Huawei smartphone models, classified under the Common Weakness Enumeration framework as CWE-787. This vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking within the device's memory management subsystem, specifically affecting the handling of data structures that are processed by the mobile operating system. The flaw manifests when the system attempts to write data beyond the allocated memory boundaries, potentially leading to unauthorized memory access patterns that can compromise the device's integrity.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the smartphone's kernel-level components or system libraries that manage memory allocation and data processing. When malicious input or crafted data is processed by these components, the system fails to validate the boundaries of memory regions, allowing an attacker to write data beyond the intended memory allocation. This out-of-bounds write operation can result in overwriting adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting critical system data structures, modifying program execution flow, or even enabling privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability's exploitation pathway typically involves triggering specific code paths within the affected software components through crafted inputs or system calls.
From an operational perspective, successful exploitation of CVE-2020-9145 can lead to severe consequences for both device functionality and user security. The out-of-bounds memory access may cause system crashes, unpredictable behavior, or complete device compromise, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. This vulnerability directly impacts the device's security model and can enable attackers to bypass security controls, access sensitive user data, or establish persistent backdoors. The implications extend beyond simple device instability as the vulnerability could be leveraged for advanced persistent threat campaigns, particularly given the widespread deployment of affected Huawei smartphone models in enterprise and consumer environments.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patch deployment through official firmware updates from Huawei, as recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology guidelines for mobile device security. System administrators should implement comprehensive monitoring for anomalous memory access patterns and ensure all affected devices receive timely security patches. Additionally, the vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK framework techniques related to privilege escalation and memory corruption attacks, emphasizing the need for robust memory safety controls. Organizations should conduct thorough risk assessments of their mobile device fleets and implement network segmentation to limit potential lateral movement if exploitation occurs. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of secure coding practices and regular security testing of mobile operating system components to prevent similar memory safety issues from emerging in future releases.