CVE-2022-20304 in Android
Summary
by MITRE • 08/12/2022
In Content, there is a possible way to determinate the user's account due to side channel information disclosure. This could lead to local information disclosure with User execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-13Android ID: A-199751919
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2022
This vulnerability resides within the Android content management system and represents a side-channel information disclosure flaw that enables attackers to determine user account information through indirect means. The issue manifests as a weakness in how the system handles sensitive data processing, where timing variations or other observable characteristics during content operations inadvertently reveal information about user accounts. The vulnerability requires local execution privileges and user-level access to exploit, making it particularly concerning for environments where privilege escalation is not readily available. The Android 13 implementation contains this flaw, affecting the broader Android ecosystem through the specific Android ID A-199751919.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from insufficient obfuscation of operational timing patterns and memory access behaviors when processing content-related operations. Attackers can exploit this weakness by monitoring system response times or observing memory access patterns during content processing activities. This type of side-channel attack falls under the category of timing attacks as described in CWE-399, where the attacker leverages temporal variations in system behavior to infer sensitive information. The vulnerability demonstrates poor implementation of constant-time algorithms and inadequate randomization of processing sequences that should mask the underlying account information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it creates a pathway for attackers to gather user account details that could be used for subsequent attacks. While the exploit requires user execution privileges, this limitation does not prevent attackers from leveraging social engineering or other means to obtain such privileges. The information disclosure could potentially enable account enumeration attacks, where an attacker systematically identifies valid user accounts through repeated monitoring of timing variations. This weakness creates opportunities for credential harvesting, privilege escalation attempts, and targeted attacks against specific user accounts within the system.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper constant-time algorithms throughout the content processing pipeline, ensuring that all operations exhibit consistent timing characteristics regardless of input values. System-level protections should include randomization of processing sequences and elimination of timing variations that could reveal sensitive information. The Android security model should enforce stricter isolation between content processing operations and account information access. Additionally, developers should implement comprehensive testing for timing variations and side-channel vulnerabilities during the security review process. Organizations should also consider deploying runtime monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous timing patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1211 which involves the use of timing attacks to extract information from systems, and represents a critical weakness in the Android platform's information protection mechanisms.