CVE-2023-33889 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-2023-33889 represents a critical permission bypass flaw within telephony service implementations that affects the security posture of mobile and communication systems. This issue stems from inadequate access control mechanisms that fail to properly validate user permissions before granting access to sensitive telephony data. The vulnerability exists at the service level where telephony functions are exposed to local applications without proper authentication or authorization checks, creating an attack surface that can be exploited by malicious local processes. The flaw is particularly concerning because it requires no additional privileges beyond normal application execution, making it accessible to any local entity with basic system access. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of inadequate permission checks as defined by CWE-284, which specifically addresses improper access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized access to system resources. The telephony service component in question likely handles sensitive information including call logs, contact data, network configuration details, and potentially personal identification information that should remain protected from unauthorized access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the telephony service fails to perform proper permission validation before exposing sensitive APIs or data structures to local applications. This missing check typically manifests in the service's security model where it assumes that any local process can access telephony functions without proper authorization verification. The service may be configured to operate with overly permissive access controls or may have been implemented without proper security boundaries that separate different levels of access privileges. Attackers can exploit this weakness by directly invoking the telephony service APIs or by leveraging other local processes that can interact with the service to extract confidential information. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in mobile environments where local applications may have elevated privileges or where system integrity has been compromised through other attack vectors. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability aligns with techniques involving privilege escalation and information gathering, specifically targeting the T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and T1069 (Permission Groups Discovery) tactics that attackers use to expand their access and gather intelligence. The lack of proper access control validation means that even applications that should not have access to telephony data can retrieve it, potentially leading to comprehensive exposure of user communication patterns and personal information.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-33889 extends beyond simple data leakage to encompass potential privacy violations, regulatory compliance issues, and increased risk of further attacks. Local information disclosure through this vulnerability can expose sensitive user data including phone numbers, call histories, SMS content, and potentially network identifiers that could be used for social engineering or identity theft attacks. The consequences are particularly severe in enterprise environments where telephony data may contain confidential business communications or personal health information that requires protection under various compliance frameworks such as gdpr, hipaa, or other data protection regulations. Organizations may face significant liability issues if this vulnerability leads to unauthorized access to sensitive communications or personal data. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to gather intelligence about user behavior patterns, network topology, and communication relationships that can be leveraged in more sophisticated attacks. From a security operations perspective, this vulnerability undermines the principle of least privilege and can serve as a stepping stone for attackers to escalate their access within the system. The ease of exploitation, requiring no additional privileges, makes it particularly attractive to threat actors who may use it as an initial access vector to establish persistence or to gather information for more targeted attacks. Organizations implementing mobile device management solutions or unified communications platforms are particularly vulnerable to this type of attack as these systems often rely on telephony services for core functionality. The vulnerability also impacts the overall security architecture by creating weak points in the system where unauthorized access can occur without detection, potentially allowing attackers to maintain access without raising alarms through traditional monitoring mechanisms. Security teams must consider this vulnerability when evaluating their risk posture and implementing compensating controls to prevent unauthorized access to telephony data.