CVE-2023-21301 in Android
Summary
by MITRE • 10/30/2023
In ActivityManagerService, there is a possible way to determine whether an app is installed, without query permissions, due to side channel information disclosure. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-21301 resides within the ActivityManagerService component of Android operating systems, representing a significant security flaw that enables unauthorized information disclosure through side channel attacks. This vulnerability specifically affects the system's ability to maintain proper access controls and privacy boundaries, creating a pathway for malicious actors to gather sensitive information about installed applications without requiring explicit permissions or user interaction. The flaw operates at the core level of Android's application management system, where the ActivityManagerService handles the lifecycle and management of all running applications, making it a critical component for system security.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of information flow within the ActivityManagerService, where side channel information disclosure occurs during routine application state checks and queries. This weakness allows attackers to infer the presence or absence of specific applications through subtle timing variations, memory access patterns, or other observable system behaviors that leak information about installed packages. The vulnerability manifests when the system processes requests related to application state monitoring, where the response times or memory access patterns differ predictably between scenarios where applications are present versus absent. This information leakage occurs despite the absence of proper permission checks, violating fundamental security principles that should prevent such indirect information gathering mechanisms from being exploited.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-21301 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it enables local privilege escalation without requiring additional execution privileges or user interaction. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain elevated system privileges by exploiting the information leakage to build more sophisticated attack vectors, potentially leading to full system compromise. The lack of user interaction requirements makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited automatically by malicious applications running with standard user privileges, creating a persistent threat that operates silently in the background. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-203, which describes "Information Exposure Through Log Data" and related weaknesses involving information leakage through side channels, while also demonstrating characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1056.1001 for "Input Prompting" and T1068 for "Local Privilege Escalation" in its exploitation patterns.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate system updates from vendors, as the flaw exists at the core operating system level and cannot be resolved through application-level patches alone. System administrators should implement comprehensive monitoring for unusual access patterns and information leakage behaviors, while security teams must conduct thorough assessments of application behavior to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper information flow control and access restriction mechanisms within core system services, emphasizing the need for robust security architectures that prevent side channel attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing additional runtime protections and behavioral monitoring systems to detect anomalous patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The remediation process involves updating to patched versions of Android operating systems where the information leakage mechanisms have been properly secured, ensuring that the ActivityManagerService no longer exposes application state information through side channels that could be exploited for privilege escalation.