CVE-2023-41302 in EMUI
Summary
by MITRE • 09/25/2023
Redirection permission verification vulnerability in the home screen module. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may cause features to perform abnormally.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2024
This vulnerability resides within the home screen module of a system where redirection permission verification has been inadequately implemented. The flaw represents a critical weakness in access control mechanisms that allows unauthorized entities to bypass normal permission checks when navigating between different application interfaces or modules. The vulnerability manifests as a failure in validating whether a user has appropriate authorization to redirect to specific destinations within the application's navigation structure. This type of issue commonly falls under the category of insufficient redirection validation as classified by CWE-601, where applications fail to properly verify that user-controlled redirections are safe and authorized.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and permission checking routines within the home screen module's navigation handling code. When users attempt to perform redirection operations, the system should verify that the intended destination is accessible based on the user's role, privileges, and security context. However, in this case, the validation process either completely omits permission checks or fails to properly enforce them, allowing malicious actors to manipulate the redirection flow. This weakness creates a pathway for attackers to potentially access restricted features or modules that should normally be unavailable to them, effectively undermining the application's security boundaries and access control policies.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple functional abnormalities as it creates potential entry points for more severe attacks within the application ecosystem. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to redirect users to malicious websites, access unauthorized administrative functions, or bypass critical security controls that are designed to protect sensitive data and operations. The vulnerability may also facilitate privilege escalation scenarios where users can gain access to higher-privilege functions through carefully crafted redirection attempts. From an attacker's perspective, this represents a low-effort method to compromise system integrity and potentially establish persistent access within the application environment. The impact severity is particularly concerning given that the home screen module typically serves as the primary interface for user navigation and access to core application features.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust input validation and comprehensive permission verification mechanisms throughout the redirection process. Organizations should ensure that all redirection operations within the home screen module perform strict validation against a whitelist of authorized destinations and verify that users possess appropriate permissions before allowing navigation to proceed. The implementation should follow established security frameworks such as the OWASP Secure Coding Practices and incorporate defense-in-depth strategies that include proper access control enforcement, input sanitization, and secure coding standards. Additionally, regular security testing including penetration testing and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities across other modules that might exhibit similar permission verification weaknesses. The remediation process should also include logging and monitoring of redirection activities to detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation, as unauthorized access through improper redirection validation can lead to privilege elevation and unauthorized system access.