CVE-2022-20259 in Android
Summary
by MITRE • 08/12/2022
In Telephony, there is a possible leak of ICCID and EID due to a missing permission check. This could lead to local information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-13Android ID: A-221431393
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/10/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-20259 resides within the Telephony subsystem of Android operating systems, specifically affecting Android 13. This security flaw represents a critical information disclosure issue that stems from inadequate permission validation mechanisms. The vulnerability manifests through a missing permission check that allows unauthorized access to sensitive telephony identifiers including the ICCID (Integrated Circuit Card Identifier) and EID (Equipment Identifier). These identifiers contain critical information about the SIM card and device hardware that could be exploited by malicious applications to gain insights into device configuration and network authentication details.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a failure in the Android permission model where applications can access ICCID and EID information without proper authorization checks. This missing permission validation creates a direct pathway for information leakage that operates at the system level within the telephony framework. The flaw exists in the Android framework's handling of telephony-related system calls and does not require any special execution privileges or user interaction to exploit, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered automatically by malicious applications already present on the device.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability compromises the fundamental security principles of device privacy and network authentication. The exposure of ICCID and EID information could enable attackers to perform device fingerprinting, track user activities across different networks, and potentially facilitate more sophisticated attacks including SIM swapping attempts or targeted network reconnaissance. The lack of user interaction requirements means that exploitation can occur silently in the background without any visible indicators to the end user, creating a stealthy threat vector that persists throughout device usage.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and represents a specific instance of insufficient permission checking within Android's telephony services. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this maps to T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) and T1082 (System Information Discovery) where adversaries can leverage this weakness to gather system information without elevated privileges. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the latest Android security patches, monitoring for unauthorized applications that might attempt to access telephony identifiers, and conducting security audits of installed applications to identify potential malicious actors that could exploit this vulnerability for information gathering purposes.
The security implications extend beyond simple information disclosure as these identifiers can be used in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to create more comprehensive attack vectors. Network operators and device manufacturers should consider implementing additional runtime protections that monitor for unauthorized access attempts to telephony identifiers and establish more robust permission boundaries within the Android framework. Regular security assessments of telephony services and continuous monitoring of system calls related to ICCID and EID access should become standard practices to prevent exploitation of similar permission-based vulnerabilities in the Android ecosystem.