CVE-2023-42693 in SC7731E
Summary
by MITRE • 12/04/2023
In wifi service, there is a possible missing permission check. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/22/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-42693 resides within the wifi service component of Android systems, representing a critical permission bypass flaw that enables local privilege escalation. This issue stems from insufficient access control mechanisms within the wireless networking service implementation, where proper authorization checks fail to validate the privileges of requesting processes before granting access to sensitive wifi management functions. The vulnerability operates at the system level where wifi service components maintain elevated privileges to manage network configurations, but the missing permission validation allows malicious applications or processes running with standard user privileges to exploit this gap and execute privileged operations. According to CWE-284, this represents an inadequate privilege management scenario where the system fails to properly enforce access controls, creating a path for unauthorized privilege elevation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a local attacker can manipulate the wifi service interface without proper authentication or authorization validation. The flaw manifests when the wifi service fails to verify whether incoming requests originate from processes with appropriate system-level permissions before executing sensitive operations. This missing validation creates a direct pathway for privilege escalation as the service processes requests without confirming that the requesting entity possesses the necessary authorization levels. The vulnerability essentially allows any locally running process to impersonate system-level wifi management operations, effectively bypassing the normal security boundaries that should separate user applications from privileged system services. This weakness aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which describes the exploitation of system privileges to gain elevated access, and specifically targets the privilege escalation domain where attackers leverage service misconfigurations to elevate their operational capabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-42693 extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the Android platform. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can gain complete control over wifi networking functions including network configuration changes, connection management, and potentially access to sensitive network credentials. The attack requires no additional execution privileges beyond what is normally available to a standard application, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by malicious apps already present on the device. This vulnerability compromises the integrity of the system's access control mechanisms and could potentially enable more sophisticated attacks such as network monitoring, man-in-the-middle attacks, or the establishment of persistent backdoors through unauthorized network modifications. The implications are severe as wifi service privileges typically include access to network state information, connection management capabilities, and potentially sensitive network authentication data that could be leveraged for broader security compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive permission validation within the wifi service component. System administrators and device manufacturers must ensure that all incoming requests to wifi service interfaces undergo strict authorization checks before any privileged operations are executed. The fix involves adding robust permission verification mechanisms that validate the requesting process identity against the expected privilege levels required for each specific operation. Security patches should enforce mandatory access controls that prevent unauthorized processes from executing wifi management functions regardless of their execution context. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions to detect anomalous wifi service access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security audits of system services should verify that all privileged operations maintain proper access control enforcement, and that no unauthorized bypass mechanisms exist within the service implementation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining strict privilege boundaries within system services and highlights the necessity of continuous security validation to prevent such access control failures from compromising system integrity.