CVE-2022-48246 in SC9863A
Summary
by MITRE • 05/09/2023
In audio service, there is a possible missing permission check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/28/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-48246 resides within the audio service component of a mobile operating system, specifically affecting Android devices. This issue represents a critical permission bypass flaw that allows malicious applications to escalate their privileges from regular user level to system level without requiring any additional execution privileges or root access. The vulnerability stems from an insufficient validation mechanism within the audio service that fails to properly verify whether incoming requests originate from authorized processes with appropriate permissions.
The technical flaw manifests as a missing permission check within the audio service's request handling logic. When applications attempt to perform privileged audio operations, the system should verify that the requesting process possesses the necessary permissions before executing the requested functionality. However, in this case, the audio service fails to conduct proper authorization checks, allowing any application to bypass these security controls. This missing validation creates an attack vector where malicious actors can exploit the service to perform operations that should be restricted to system-level processes or applications with elevated privileges. The vulnerability operates at the system level and affects the core audio service functionality that manages audio routing, device access, and audio processing operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-48246 is severe and potentially devastating for affected devices. Local privilege escalation allows attackers to gain system-level access to devices, enabling them to modify system files, install malicious applications, access sensitive user data, and potentially compromise the entire device. This vulnerability can be exploited by any application installed on the device, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no special privileges or root access to exploit. The attack surface is broad since audio services are frequently accessed by various applications, including those that may be less scrutinized for security purposes. Once exploited, the attacker gains complete control over the device's audio capabilities and can leverage this access to perform further malicious activities, including data exfiltration, surveillance, or establishing persistent backdoors.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control, specifically focusing on insufficient permission checks within system services. From an adversary perspective, this flaw maps to several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation through service manipulation and abuse of system privileges. The attack chain typically begins with a malicious application installation, followed by exploitation of the audio service to gain elevated privileges, and concludes with full system compromise. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying security patches from device vendors, monitoring for unusual audio service access patterns, and conducting security audits of installed applications. The recommended approach involves updating the operating system to versions that contain the patched audio service implementation with proper permission validation mechanisms. Additionally, security teams should consider implementing application whitelisting policies and monitoring for unauthorized system-level access attempts to detect potential exploitation attempts.