CVE-2021-37052 in Huawei
Summary
by MITRE • 12/08/2021
There is an Exception log vulnerability in Huawei Smartphone.Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may cause address information leakage.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/11/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-37052 represents a critical exception logging flaw discovered in Huawei smartphone devices that exposes sensitive address information through improper error handling mechanisms. This vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure issues and demonstrates a fundamental weakness in how the device handles exception scenarios during runtime operations. The flaw manifests when the smartphone's operating system or applications generate exception logs that inadvertently include memory addresses or other sensitive data structures, creating potential attack vectors for malicious actors seeking to gather intelligence about the device's internal architecture.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of exception messages within the smartphone's software stack, particularly affecting the kernel-level components or system services that manage error reporting. The exception logging mechanism fails to properly filter or obfuscate memory addresses, file paths, or other potentially sensitive information that may be present in the exception context. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-209, which specifically addresses information exposure through exception logging, and represents a direct violation of secure coding practices that require proper error handling without exposing internal system details. The flaw is particularly concerning because it operates at a low level within the system architecture, making it difficult to detect and remediate without comprehensive system analysis.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the leaked address information can significantly aid attackers in conducting more sophisticated exploitation attempts. Memory address leakage provides attackers with crucial information for bypassing security mechanisms such as address space layout randomization, which is a fundamental defense against buffer overflow attacks and other exploitation techniques. This vulnerability can be leveraged in conjunction with other exploits to facilitate advanced persistent threats, potentially enabling attackers to craft more effective shellcode or exploit other weaknesses in the system. The information disclosure aspect creates a reconnaissance opportunity that aligns with ATT&CK technique T1082, which involves discovering system information through the exploitation of system-level vulnerabilities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-37052 should focus on implementing comprehensive exception handling mechanisms that sanitize all error messages before logging, ensuring that memory addresses and other sensitive data are stripped from exception contexts. System administrators and device manufacturers should prioritize updating firmware to patched versions that address the root cause of the exception logging flaw, while also implementing monitoring solutions to detect anomalous logging patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of adhering to secure coding guidelines and conducting thorough security testing of exception handling code paths, particularly in mobile operating systems where the attack surface is constantly expanding due to the integration of multiple system components and third-party applications. Regular security assessments should include specific testing of error handling mechanisms to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future system updates or new software implementations.