CVE-2021-37037 in Huawei
Summary
by MITRE • 12/08/2021
There is an Invalid address access vulnerability in Huawei Smartphone.Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may cause the device to restart.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/11/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-37037 represents a critical invalid address access flaw within Huawei smartphone implementations that can lead to unauthorized device restarts. This issue manifests in the mobile operating system's memory management mechanisms where improper validation of memory addresses during specific processing operations creates opportunities for exploitation. The vulnerability resides in the device's kernel-level components that handle memory allocation and deallocation processes, specifically within the memory management unit or similar low-level system functions. According to the Common Weakness Enumeration framework, this vulnerability maps to CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write, which occurs when a program writes to memory outside the bounds of a valid buffer, potentially causing memory corruption and system instability. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with memory safety issues that can be exploited through crafted inputs or specific sequences of operations that manipulate memory pointers beyond their intended boundaries.
The technical execution of this vulnerability requires an attacker to trigger specific memory access patterns that cause the system to attempt accessing invalid memory addresses within the smartphone's operating environment. This typically involves manipulating system calls or application interfaces that interact with kernel memory regions, potentially through malicious applications or system-level attacks. The exploitation process may leverage buffer overflow conditions or pointer arithmetic errors that result in memory corruption, ultimately leading to system restarts when the operating system detects and attempts to recover from the invalid memory access. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059.001: Command and Scripting Interpreter - PowerShell, though in this context it would more appropriately map to T1068: Exploitation for Privilege Escalation or T1499.004: Endpoint Denial of Service, as the primary impact is system instability and restart rather than direct privilege elevation or data exfiltration. The vulnerability's exploitation requires a certain level of system access or application-level manipulation that could potentially be achieved through malicious app installation or system-level attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2021-37037 extends beyond simple device restarts to encompass potential system instability and reliability degradation in affected Huawei smartphone models. When exploited, this vulnerability can cause unexpected system restarts during normal operation, leading to data loss, interrupted communications, and reduced device usability. The frequency and timing of these restarts can vary based on the specific exploitation method and system conditions, potentially creating denial of service scenarios that significantly impact user productivity and device security. Organizations and individuals using affected Huawei smartphones face increased risk of service disruption, particularly in environments where device reliability is critical for business operations or personal communications. The vulnerability also raises concerns about potential escalation pathways to more serious system compromises, as memory corruption issues often serve as entry points for additional exploitation techniques.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-37037 should prioritize immediate firmware updates from Huawei to address the underlying memory management flaws. System administrators and device users should implement comprehensive patch management protocols to ensure all affected devices receive security updates promptly. The vulnerability requires kernel-level fixes that address the invalid memory address access patterns, making vendor-provided security patches essential for effective remediation. Additional protective measures include implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent installation of untrusted applications that could exploit this vulnerability, monitoring system logs for unusual restart patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, and maintaining regular backup procedures to minimize data loss during unexpected system restarts. Security teams should also consider network-level monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability, particularly in enterprise environments where Huawei devices are deployed. The implementation of memory safety features such as stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and heap-based memory protection mechanisms can provide additional defense-in-depth layers against similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also conduct vulnerability assessments to identify other potential memory safety issues within their mobile device management frameworks, as this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust memory validation in mobile operating systems.