CVE-2022-20349 in Android
Summary
by MITRE • 08/11/2022
In WifiScanningPreferenceController and BluetoothScanningPreferenceController, there is a possible admin restriction bypass due to a missing permission check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.Product: AndroidVersions: Android-10 Android-11 Android-12 Android-12LAndroid ID: A-228315522
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-20349 represents a critical security flaw within Android's wireless scanning preference controllers that enables unauthorized privilege escalation. This issue affects multiple Android versions including Android 10, 11, 12, and 12L, indicating a widespread impact across the Android ecosystem. The vulnerability manifests in the WifiScanningPreferenceController and BluetoothScanningPreferenceController components, which are responsible for managing wireless scanning preferences within the Android operating system. These controllers are designed to enforce administrative restrictions and permissions to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive system functions.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from a missing permission check within the controller implementations. Specifically, the WifiScanningPreferenceController and BluetoothScanningPreferenceController fail to validate administrative privileges before allowing modifications to wireless scanning preferences. This absence of proper authorization checks creates a path for malicious actors to bypass existing security controls that should normally restrict access to these sensitive system components. The flaw operates at the system level where administrative restrictions are meant to prevent unauthorized modifications to core wireless functionality, but the missing permission validation allows for unrestricted access regardless of user privileges.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe local privilege escalation risk that does not require any additional execution privileges or user interaction for exploitation. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it allows an attacker with local access to escalate their privileges without needing to perform additional malicious actions or gain elevated permissions through other means. The impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it potentially enables attackers to modify wireless scanning behaviors, which could lead to further exploitation opportunities including network monitoring, device reconnaissance, or even more sophisticated attacks that leverage the compromised wireless capabilities. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and could be exploited to gain deeper system access or to manipulate wireless communication settings that may affect overall device security.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper permission checks within the affected controllers and ensuring that all administrative restrictions are properly enforced. Android developers and security teams should prioritize patching affected versions and implementing comprehensive access control mechanisms that validate administrative privileges before allowing modifications to wireless scanning preferences. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring for unauthorized changes to wireless scanning configurations and ensure that proper security audits are conducted to identify similar permission bypass vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control and may be related to ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers exploit for privilege escalation. The vulnerability represents a significant concern for enterprise security environments where device integrity and access control are paramount, and it underscores the importance of maintaining robust permission validation mechanisms throughout the Android operating system framework.