CVE-2023-42694 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 • 10/17/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-42694 resides within the wifi service component of Android operating systems, representing a critical permission enforcement flaw that enables local privilege escalation. This issue stems from inadequate validation of access controls within the wireless networking subsystem, where the service fails to properly verify whether requesting processes possess the necessary authorization levels to perform specific operations. The flaw operates at the system level where wifi service routines execute with elevated privileges but do not adequately validate incoming requests from unprivileged applications or processes that might attempt to exploit this gap in authorization checking.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control mechanisms where systems fail to properly enforce authorization checks for protected resources. The wifi service component typically operates with system-level privileges to manage network configurations and maintain connectivity, yet the missing permission check creates an exploitable pathway where malicious applications can bypass normal access restrictions. This occurs because the service does not validate the calling process credentials against the expected permission requirements before executing privileged operations, allowing unauthorized code execution within the context of the wifi service itself.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to device security as it enables local privilege escalation without requiring any additional execution privileges or user interaction. An attacker with a low-privileged application running on the device can leverage this flaw to gain elevated system-level access, potentially allowing them to modify network configurations, access sensitive data, or establish persistent backdoors. The impact extends beyond simple network manipulation as the compromised wifi service could serve as a foothold for broader system compromise, potentially enabling access to other protected services or data within the device's security boundaries.
The attack vector for this vulnerability typically involves an application with basic network access permissions attempting to invoke specific wifi service functions that should require more elevated privileges. The exploitation process leverages the service's failure to validate process credentials, allowing malicious code to execute with the elevated privileges of the wifi service. This creates a significant concern for mobile device security where applications with minimal permissions could potentially gain complete system control through this single point of failure in the permission checking mechanism.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-42694 should focus on implementing comprehensive permission validation at all service entry points, particularly within system-level components like wifi service. The recommended approach includes strengthening access control checks to ensure that all incoming requests are properly authenticated and authorized before executing privileged operations. Security patches should enforce strict validation of calling process permissions against expected privilege levels, implementing proper access control lists and capability-based authorization systems. Additionally, regular security audits of system services should be conducted to identify similar permission enforcement gaps, with defense-in-depth strategies that include runtime monitoring and anomaly detection to prevent exploitation attempts. Organizations should prioritize patching affected systems promptly and consider implementing application sandboxing techniques to limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities even if they are not immediately patched.