CVE-2020-9203 in P30
Summary
by MITRE • 01/14/2021
There is a resource management errors vulnerability in Huawei P30. Local attackers construct broadcast message for some application, causing this application to send this broadcast message and impact the customer's use experience.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/13/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-9203 represents a resource management error within Huawei P30 devices that stems from insufficient validation of broadcast messages received by applications. This weakness allows local attackers to craft malicious broadcast intents that can be delivered to targeted applications, creating a scenario where legitimate applications become unwitting participants in resource exhaustion or system instability. The vulnerability specifically affects the Android-based operating system implementation within Huawei P30 smartphones, where the broadcast receiver mechanism fails to properly sanitize incoming broadcast messages before processing them.
From a technical perspective, this issue manifests as a failure in input validation within the Android framework's broadcast handling mechanism. When applications receive broadcast messages, they typically process these intents without adequate verification of message integrity or source authenticity. Attackers can exploit this by crafting specially formatted broadcast messages that, when received by vulnerable applications, trigger excessive resource consumption or malformed processing behavior. The vulnerability falls under CWE-772, which addresses resource leak vulnerabilities, and specifically relates to improper handling of broadcast intents that should be validated before execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-9203 extends beyond simple performance degradation to potentially disrupt normal device functionality and user experience. Local attackers with physical access to the device can leverage this vulnerability to cause applications to consume excessive memory or processing resources, leading to application crashes, system slowdowns, or even complete device instability. Users may experience unexpected application behavior, frequent restarts, or degraded performance during normal usage patterns. The vulnerability particularly affects applications that process broadcast messages without proper input validation, making it difficult to predict which specific applications might be impacted.
This vulnerability aligns with several tactics outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically categorizing under T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation. The attack vector represents a local privilege escalation scenario where an attacker with physical access can manipulate the system through legitimate broadcast mechanisms. The resource management error creates opportunities for persistent denial-of-service conditions that can significantly impact user productivity and device reliability. Organizations and users should consider this vulnerability as part of broader mobile security assessments, particularly in environments where device security is paramount.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-9203 should focus on both immediate defensive measures and long-term system hardening approaches. Device users should ensure their Huawei P30 devices receive the latest security patches from Huawei, as the company has released firmware updates to address this vulnerability. System administrators should implement application whitelisting policies to restrict which applications can receive broadcast messages, and establish monitoring protocols to detect unusual broadcast message patterns. Additionally, organizations should consider mobile device management solutions that can enforce security policies and automatically apply security updates. The vulnerability underscores the importance of proper input validation and resource management in mobile operating systems, particularly for broadcast message handling mechanisms that form critical components of Android's inter-application communication framework.