CVE-2021-37072 in Huawei
Summary
by MITRE • 12/07/2021
There is a Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size vulnerability in Huawei Smartphone.Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may lead to memory crash.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/10/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-37072 represents a critical buffer management flaw within Huawei smartphone implementations that falls under the category of incorrect buffer size calculation. This weakness specifically affects the memory handling mechanisms of mobile devices, creating potential pathways for adversarial exploitation that could result in system instability. The vulnerability stems from improper calculation or estimation of buffer dimensions during memory allocation processes, which is a fundamental security concern that directly impacts the integrity of memory operations within the device's operating system and applications.
This technical flaw manifests when the system incorrectly determines the appropriate buffer size for data storage operations, leading to scenarios where allocated memory regions may be insufficient for incoming data or excessively large for the actual requirements. The incorrect buffer size calculation creates conditions where memory boundaries can be violated, potentially allowing attackers to trigger memory corruption states that result in system crashes or more severe operational failures. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous in mobile environments where memory management directly impacts application performance and system stability, as demonstrated by the potential for memory crash outcomes that could render devices unusable or compromise their security posture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system instability, as it creates opportunities for attackers to leverage memory corruption for more sophisticated attacks. When buffer size calculations are incorrect, malicious actors can potentially craft inputs that cause buffer overflows or underflows, leading to unpredictable behavior that may enable privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution. The memory crash outcomes represent just one manifestation of this underlying flaw, as the improper buffer handling could also facilitate information disclosure or denial of service conditions that degrade the overall security and reliability of the affected Huawei smartphone models.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses issues related to insufficient size checks for memory buffers, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should prevent such memory management errors. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under the broader category of memory corruption techniques that adversaries can leverage to compromise system integrity, particularly when combined with other exploitation methods. Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper buffer size validation mechanisms, incorporating bounds checking in memory operations, and ensuring that all memory allocation calculations account for potential data variations and edge cases that could trigger the vulnerability. Additionally, regular security updates and patches are essential to address the root cause of the buffer size calculation error while maintaining the device's overall security posture against evolving threats.