CVE-2023-33884 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-2023-33884 resides within telephony service implementations where a critical missing permission check has been discovered. This flaw exists in the underlying telephony subsystem that manages voice calls, SMS messaging, and related communication services on mobile devices and telephony systems. The absence of proper authorization verification creates a significant security gap that allows unauthorized access to sensitive telephony data. The vulnerability specifically impacts systems where telephony services operate with elevated privileges but fail to validate whether requesting processes possess the necessary permissions before exposing sensitive information. This type of flaw typically occurs in operating systems and telephony frameworks where service components are designed to handle multiple types of communication requests without adequate access control validation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the telephony service daemon or framework. When applications or processes attempt to access telephony-related information such as call logs, contact details, message content, or network configuration data, the system should verify that the requesting entity has appropriate authorization levels. However, in affected implementations, these permission checks are either completely absent or inadequately enforced, allowing any local process to potentially retrieve sensitive telephony information. The flaw operates at the system level where telephony services are designed to provide access to communication data but fail to implement proper privilege validation before granting access. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which describes improper access control and represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks in system services.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure as it creates potential pathways for broader exploitation. Attackers with local access to a device can leverage this weakness to extract sensitive communication data without requiring additional privileges or execution capabilities. The information disclosed may include call history records, contact information, message contents, or network configuration details that could be used for further attacks or identity theft. In enterprise environments, this vulnerability could allow unauthorized access to business communication data, potentially exposing confidential information or compromising communication security. The lack of additional execution privileges required makes this particularly concerning as it means even basic user accounts or unprivileged applications can exploit this weakness. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1083 which covers discovery of system information, as attackers can use this flaw to gather telephony-related data that would normally require elevated privileges to access.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-33884 should focus on implementing proper access control mechanisms within telephony service implementations. System administrators should ensure that all telephony service components properly validate authorization before exposing sensitive data, implementing robust permission checking mechanisms that verify requesting processes have appropriate privileges. The fix typically involves adding comprehensive access control checks that validate user permissions against the requested telephony data before allowing access. Device manufacturers and software vendors should review their telephony service implementations to ensure that all data access points properly enforce authorization policies. Additionally, regular security audits of telephony frameworks should be conducted to identify similar permission check gaps. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized access attempts to telephony data and establish proper privilege management policies. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of applying the principle of least privilege in system design, where even privileged services should validate access requests to prevent unauthorized data exposure.