CVE-2023-52542 in HarmonyOS
Summary
by MITRE • 04/08/2024
Permission verification vulnerability in the system module. Impact: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability will affect availability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/31/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical permission verification flaw within the system module that fundamentally undermines the integrity of access controls. The weakness manifests as an insufficient validation mechanism that fails to properly authenticate and authorize user requests before granting system-level operations. Such a deficiency creates a pathway for unauthorized entities to bypass established security boundaries and potentially gain elevated privileges or execute malicious actions. The vulnerability operates at a foundational level where proper authorization checks are either missing, incorrectly implemented, or can be circumvented through predictable patterns in the system's permission handling logic.
The technical implementation of this flaw typically involves inadequate input validation or flawed access control decision-making processes within the system module. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specific requests that either manipulate existing permission states or leverage predictable access patterns to achieve unauthorized system access. The vulnerability may be present in authentication tokens, session management, or direct system call interfaces where permission verification is bypassed or weakened. This type of flaw often stems from improper implementation of role-based access control mechanisms or failure to enforce mandatory access controls that should prevent unauthorized operations regardless of user credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to potentially compromise the entire system availability and integrity. When successfully exploited, attackers can disrupt system operations by modifying critical system parameters, deleting essential files, or manipulating core system functions that maintain availability. The availability impact becomes particularly severe when the vulnerability allows for denial-of-service conditions or system instability through unauthorized modifications to system resources. Organizations may experience complete system outages or require extensive recovery procedures when this vulnerability is exploited, as the compromised access controls can enable attackers to manipulate system configurations or disable protective mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing robust permission verification mechanisms that align with established security frameworks and best practices. Organizations must conduct comprehensive code reviews to identify and remediate improper access control implementations, ensuring that all system calls and administrative functions properly validate user permissions before execution. The implementation should follow principle of least privilege guidelines and incorporate defense-in-depth strategies that include multiple layers of access control verification. Security controls should be designed to prevent bypassing of authorization checks through input sanitization, proper session management, and enforcement of mandatory access controls. Additionally, regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify potential weaknesses in permission handling mechanisms that could be exploited by malicious actors. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285 which addresses improper authorization issues, and may map to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and defense evasion.