CVE-2022-22270 in Dialer
Summary
by MITRE • 01/10/2022
An implicit Intent hijacking vulnerability in Dialer prior to SMR Jan-2022 Release 1 allows unprivileged applications to access contact information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/13/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2022-22270 represents a critical implicit intent hijacking flaw within the Android Dialer application that existed prior to the January 2022 Security Model Release. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-829 category of Insecure Implementation of Security Features, specifically targeting the intent resolution mechanism that governs how applications communicate and share data within the Android ecosystem. The flaw enables malicious applications to intercept and manipulate implicit intents that should only be accessible to authorized system components, creating an unauthorized data access pathway through the dialer's contact information handling mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper intent filtering and resolution within the Dialer application's component architecture. When legitimate applications attempt to access contact information through implicit intents, the system fails to properly validate the calling application's privileges and permissions. This oversight allows unprivileged applications to craft malicious intent requests that can be intercepted and processed by the Dialer component, effectively bypassing the normal permission enforcement mechanisms. The vulnerability specifically affects the way the dialer handles contact lookup requests and can be exploited through carefully crafted broadcast intents that appear to originate from legitimate sources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privacy concerns to encompass potential data exfiltration and identity theft scenarios. Attackers can leverage this flaw to extract sensitive contact information including phone numbers, names, and potentially associated metadata without proper authorization. This represents a significant breach of user privacy and could enable more sophisticated attacks such as social engineering campaigns, credential harvesting, or targeted phishing operations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the system level within the dialer application, which typically enjoys elevated privileges and access to sensitive user data.
Security implications of this vulnerability align with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1566.001 for Phishing, as attackers can use the compromised dialer functionality to gather intelligence for further attacks. The vulnerability also demonstrates characteristics of privilege escalation through component manipulation and unauthorized data access patterns. Organizations and users should consider this issue as part of broader mobile security assessments, particularly in environments where sensitive data handling is critical. The exploitability of this vulnerability increases when combined with other mobile attack vectors, making it a significant concern for enterprise security teams managing Android device fleets.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of the January 2022 Security Model Release updates that address the implicit intent resolution flaws. System administrators should implement application whitelisting policies to restrict which applications can interact with dialer components and establish monitoring for unusual intent traffic patterns. Regular security audits should verify proper intent filtering implementations and ensure that all system components properly enforce access controls. Additionally, user education regarding application permissions and the risks of installing untrusted applications remains crucial in preventing exploitation of this vulnerability. The fix implemented in the SMR Jan-2022 release addresses the core intent resolution mechanism and enforces proper privilege validation for contact information access requests.