CVE-2023-30940 in SC9863A
Summary
by MITRE • 07/12/2023
In telephony service, there is a missing permission check. This could lead to local information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-30940 represents a critical permission oversight within telephony service implementations that exposes systems to unauthorized information disclosure. This flaw exists within the core telephony service component responsible for managing voice calls, SMS messaging, and related communication functions on mobile devices and telephony infrastructure. The missing permission check creates a direct pathway for malicious actors to access sensitive telephony data without requiring elevated privileges or additional execution capabilities, fundamentally undermining the security model of the affected systems. This vulnerability specifically targets the authorization mechanisms that should prevent unauthorized access to telephony-related information, creating a persistent risk for device users and network operators alike.
The technical implementation flaw stems from inadequate access control validation within the telephony service daemon or framework. When applications or processes attempt to query or retrieve telephony information such as call logs, contact details, SMS messages, or network configuration data, the system fails to properly verify whether the requesting entity possesses appropriate authorization rights. This missing validation typically occurs at the service interface level where the telephony service accepts requests without performing proper permission checks against the calling process or user context. The vulnerability manifests as a failure to enforce mandatory access controls that should prevent unauthorized data access, creating a scenario where any local process can potentially retrieve sensitive telephony information through direct service calls or IPC mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to encompass potential privacy violations and security compromise. Local attackers can exploit this flaw to access personal communication data, including call histories, message contents, and contact information, without requiring root access or additional malicious payloads. This capability enables sophisticated reconnaissance activities where threat actors can gather intelligence about user communication patterns, network usage, and personal relationships. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the system level where telephony services typically run with elevated privileges, allowing attackers to access data that should remain protected even from regular user processes. Network operators face additional risks as this vulnerability could potentially enable attackers to gather information about network infrastructure, user behavior patterns, and communication metadata that could be used for targeted attacks or surveillance operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-30940 should focus on implementing comprehensive access control measures and strengthening the permission validation mechanisms within telephony services. System administrators and developers must ensure that all telephony service interfaces perform rigorous permission checks before returning sensitive information, utilizing proper authentication and authorization frameworks that align with established security standards. The implementation should include mandatory verification of calling process privileges, user context validation, and proper access control lists that restrict data access based on role-based permissions. Additionally, regular security audits should be conducted to identify and remediate similar permission flaws within other system services. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control, and could be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1083 for discovering system information, potentially leading to broader exploitation opportunities. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized access attempts to telephony services and establish incident response procedures for rapid remediation of such security gaps.