CVE-2022-38155 in mTower
Summary
by MITRE • 08/11/2022
TEE_Malloc in Samsung mTower through 0.3.0 allows a trusted application to achieve Excessive Memory Allocation via a large len value, as demonstrated by a Numaker-PFM-M2351 TEE kernel crash.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-38155 affects the TEE_Malloc function within Samsung mTower software version 0.3.0 and earlier. This issue represents a critical memory management flaw that exists within the Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) framework, specifically impacting the secure allocation of memory resources. The vulnerability manifests when a trusted application submits an excessively large length parameter to the memory allocation function, leading to potential system instability and crash conditions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the TEE_Malloc function. When a malicious or malformed trusted application provides an abnormally large len parameter, the function fails to properly constrain the memory allocation request, potentially causing the TEE kernel to exhaust available memory resources or trigger memory corruption conditions. This flaw directly violates the fundamental security principles of memory safety and resource management within TEE environments. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-122, which addresses improper restriction of operations within a memory buffer, and CWE-770, which covers allocation of resources without limits or throttling.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system crashes to potentially compromise the entire security posture of the TEE environment. When the Numaker-PFM-M2351 platform experiences a TEE kernel crash due to excessive memory allocation, it creates a denial-of-service condition that can prevent legitimate secure operations from executing. More critically, this vulnerability could enable attackers to disrupt the secure execution environment, potentially leading to information disclosure or privilege escalation scenarios. The crash condition represents a significant threat to the integrity of the TEE, as it undermines the fundamental assumption that secure applications cannot cause system-wide failures.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both the immediate security risk and the underlying architectural weaknesses. The primary recommendation involves implementing strict bounds checking on all memory allocation requests within the TEE_Malloc function, ensuring that maximum allocation limits are enforced regardless of input parameters. System administrators should also consider implementing runtime monitoring to detect anomalous memory allocation patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, the affected Samsung mTower software should be updated to versions that include proper input validation and resource limiting mechanisms. Organizations implementing TEE solutions should conduct thorough security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other memory management functions and ensure compliance with security standards such as those outlined in the ARM TrustZone Architecture specification and the Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation.