CVE-2023-30734 in Health
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
Improper access control vulnerability in Samsung Health prior to version 6.24.3.007 allows attackers to access sensitive information via implicit intent.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/25/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-30734 represents a critical improper access control flaw within Samsung Health application versions prior to 6.24.3.007. This issue stems from the application's insecure handling of implicit intents, which are Android components that allow applications to respond to actions without explicitly specifying the target component. The vulnerability creates a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the application's intent handling mechanism and gain unauthorized access to sensitive user health data.
The technical flaw manifests through the application's failure to properly validate or authenticate implicit intent requests. When Samsung Health receives an implicit intent from another application, it does not adequately verify the originating application's permissions or identity before processing the request. This lack of proper access control validation enables attackers to craft malicious intents that appear to come from legitimate sources within the application ecosystem. The vulnerability specifically affects how the application processes health-related data through implicit intent mechanisms, potentially exposing personal health information including activity tracking data, biometric measurements, and other sensitive medical records.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to user privacy and data security. Attackers could leverage this flaw to access confidential health information without proper authorization, potentially leading to identity theft, insurance fraud, or other malicious activities. The vulnerability affects all Samsung Health users running affected versions, creating a widespread security concern given the application's popularity and the sensitive nature of health data. The exploitation requires minimal technical expertise, making it particularly dangerous as it can be automated and deployed at scale. This access control failure undermines the fundamental security model of the Android platform where proper intent validation and permission checking should prevent unauthorized data access.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software systems, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in mobile application security. From an attack perspective, this issue maps to ATT&CK technique T1546.007 for "Event Triggered Execution: Web Shell' and T1071.004 for 'Application Layer Protocol: DNS' when considering how attackers might leverage the implicit intent mechanism to establish persistent access to health data. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to Samsung Health version 6.24.3.007 or later, which includes proper intent validation mechanisms. Additional defensive measures include monitoring for unauthorized intent usage patterns, implementing network-based detection for suspicious data access attempts, and conducting security audits of mobile applications that handle sensitive health information. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper Android security practices including explicit intent usage, robust permission checking, and comprehensive security testing for health applications that process sensitive user data.