CVE-2022-48312 in EMUI
Summary
by MITRE • 04/16/2023
The HwPCAssistant module has the out-of-bounds read/write vulnerability. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may affect confidentiality and integrity.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/05/2023
The CVE-2022-48312 vulnerability resides within the HwPCAssistant module, representing a critical out-of-bounds read/write flaw that fundamentally compromises system security. This type of vulnerability typically arises when software fails to properly validate array indices or memory access boundaries, allowing attackers to read or write data beyond allocated memory regions. The HwPCAssistant module, designed to manage hardware performance control functionalities, becomes a prime target for exploitation due to its privileged access to system resources and direct hardware interaction capabilities.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it firmly within CWE-125 Out-of-Bounds Read and CWE-787 Out-of-Bounds Write categories, both of which are classified as high-risk issues in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. These weaknesses occur when programs access memory locations outside the intended boundaries of allocated buffers, potentially leading to information disclosure, system instability, or arbitrary code execution. The out-of-bounds access in this case likely stems from improper input validation or insufficient bounds checking within the module's memory management routines, particularly when handling performance control parameters or hardware configuration data.
Operational impact assessment reveals that successful exploitation of CVE-2022-48312 could result in significant confidentiality and integrity breaches across affected systems. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability may extract sensitive hardware configuration data, performance metrics, or system identification information that could be used for further targeting. The integrity compromise occurs through potential modification of critical hardware control parameters, which could lead to system instability, performance degradation, or even complete system compromise. Given that this affects hardware performance control functionality, adversaries might manipulate system resources to create persistent backdoors or disable security features.
From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 Command and Scripting Interpreter: Python, as exploitation often requires sophisticated scripting capabilities to craft malicious inputs that trigger the out-of-bounds conditions. The attack surface extends beyond simple information disclosure to include potential privilege escalation scenarios, especially when the HwPCAssistant module operates with elevated system privileges. Organizations running affected systems face heightened risk during system updates, configuration changes, or when hardware performance monitoring is actively enabled, as these conditions may provide attackers with optimal opportunities to exploit the memory corruption vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patch deployment from the vendor, as the vulnerability represents a critical security flaw requiring urgent attention. System administrators should implement network segmentation to limit access to systems containing the vulnerable module, while monitoring for anomalous hardware performance control activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additional protective measures include implementing memory protection mechanisms such as stack canaries, address space layout randomization, and control flow integrity checks to reduce exploit reliability. Regular security assessments should focus on identifying similar memory corruption vulnerabilities within other system modules, particularly those handling hardware interaction or performance monitoring functions, as the underlying architectural flaw may exist in related components.