CVE-2022-34741 in HarmonyOS
Summary
by MITRE • 07/12/2022
The NFC module has a buffer overflow vulnerability. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may cause exceptions in NFC card registration, deletion, and activation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/22/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-34741 represents a critical buffer overflow condition within the NFC module of affected systems, as classified under CWE-121. This flaw exists in the handling of data structures during NFC card operations including registration, deletion, and activation processes. The buffer overflow occurs when the system fails to properly validate input lengths before copying data into fixed-size memory buffers, creating opportunities for attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking mechanisms within the NFC subsystem's memory management routines. When processing NFC card data during registration, deletion, or activation operations, the module does not sufficiently validate the size of incoming data payloads. This allows malicious actors to craft specially formatted inputs that exceed the allocated buffer capacity, resulting in memory corruption that can lead to arbitrary code execution or system instability. The vulnerability manifests as exceptions during normal NFC card operations, indicating the system's failure to handle malformed input gracefully.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to NFC-enabled devices and systems that rely on secure card management functionalities. The impact extends beyond simple system crashes to potentially enable privilege escalation attacks, as demonstrated by the ATT&CK framework's T1068 technique for local privilege escalation. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to NFC subsystems, potentially compromising sensitive card data or gaining elevated system privileges. The exception handling behavior suggests that the system's error recovery mechanisms are insufficient to prevent exploitation, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where NFC card operations are frequently performed.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust input validation and bounds checking mechanisms within the NFC module. System administrators should prioritize applying vendor patches and firmware updates that address the buffer overflow condition through proper memory allocation and validation routines. Additionally, implementing runtime protections such as stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and data execution prevention can significantly reduce the exploitability of this vulnerability. The solution approach aligns with security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks, emphasizing the importance of secure coding practices and defensive programming techniques to prevent buffer overflow conditions in critical system components.