CVE-2023-41295 in EMUI
Summary
by MITRE • 09/25/2023
Vulnerability of improper permission management in the displayengine module. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may cause the screen to turn dim.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-41295 represents a critical flaw in the displayengine module's permission management system that can lead to unauthorized screen dimming operations. This issue falls under the broader category of improper access control vulnerabilities, which are commonly classified as CWE-284 Access Control Issues within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of permissions within the display subsystem, allowing malicious actors or compromised processes to manipulate display settings without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this flaw occurs within the displayengine module where permission checks are either absent, insufficiently enforced, or improperly configured. When the system fails to properly verify whether a requesting process has legitimate authority to modify display parameters, it creates an attack surface that can be exploited through various vectors including malicious applications, compromised user accounts, or privilege escalation attacks. The specific manifestation of this vulnerability results in unauthorized screen dimming, which can serve as both a functional disruption and a potential indicator of broader system compromise.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to both user experience and security posture. The unauthorized dimming of screens can disrupt normal operations, particularly in critical environments such as industrial control systems, medical devices, or financial transaction terminals where display visibility is essential. The vulnerability may also serve as a reconnaissance tool for attackers who could use screen dimming as a covert method to observe system behavior or as a stepping stone for further exploitation. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1562.001 for privilege escalation and T1486 for data manipulation through display control.
The exploitation of this vulnerability typically requires minimal privileges and can be executed through various means including code injection, process manipulation, or direct system calls to the displayengine module. Attackers may leverage this weakness in combination with other vulnerabilities to establish persistent access or to create denial of service conditions that degrade system functionality. The remediation approach should focus on implementing robust permission checking mechanisms within the displayengine module, ensuring that all display modification requests undergo proper authentication and authorization verification. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect unusual display parameter changes that could indicate exploitation attempts, and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify potential permission misconfigurations in display-related subsystems.