CVE-2022-43451 in OpenHarmony
Summary
by MITRE • 11/04/2022
OpenHarmony-v3.1.2 and prior versions had an Multiple path traversal vulnerability in appspawn and nwebspawn services. Local attackers can create arbitrary directories or escape application sandbox.If chained with other vulnerabilities it would allow an unprivileged process to gain full root privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-43451 affects OpenHarmony versions 3.1.2 and earlier, specifically targeting the appspawn and nwebspawn services within the operating system. This represents a critical path traversal flaw that fundamentally undermines the security boundaries established by the sandboxing mechanisms designed to isolate application processes. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and improper path handling within these core system services, creating exploitable conditions that allow malicious actors to manipulate file system access patterns beyond their intended scope.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of file paths through the appspawn and nwebspawn services, which are responsible for spawning application processes and managing web-based application execution respectively. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious inputs that bypass normal path validation checks, enabling them to traverse directory structures and access files or directories that should remain restricted. This flaw directly maps to CWE-22, which describes improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, commonly known as path traversal or directory traversal attacks. The vulnerability essentially allows attackers to escape the application sandbox environment through improper path resolution mechanisms.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-43451 extends far beyond simple unauthorized file access, as it creates a fundamental compromise of the system's privilege model. Local attackers who can successfully exploit this vulnerability gain the ability to create arbitrary directories and manipulate file system structures outside of their designated application boundaries. This capability represents a severe escalation path that can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code, modify system files, or establish persistent access points within the operating environment. When combined with other vulnerabilities present in the system, this path traversal flaw creates a complete attack chain that can lead to full system compromise, allowing unprivileged processes to escalate privileges to root level access.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which covers the use of scripting languages for execution, as attackers can leverage the path traversal capabilities to deploy malicious payloads or modify existing system scripts. The exploitation of this vulnerability requires local system access and can be particularly dangerous in environments where multiple applications or services are running with elevated privileges. Organizations using OpenHarmony versions prior to 3.1.3 should immediately implement mitigations including updating to patched versions, implementing additional input validation controls, and monitoring for suspicious file system access patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input sanitization and path validation in system services that handle user-provided data, particularly those involved in process spawning and application management functions.