CVE-2023-52554 in HarmonyOS
Summary
by MITRE • 04/08/2024
Permission control vulnerability in the Bluetooth module. Impact: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may affect service confidentiality.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/05/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical permission control flaw within the Bluetooth module implementation that fundamentally compromises the security boundaries designed to protect sensitive services. The issue stems from inadequate access controls that fail to properly validate user permissions before granting access to Bluetooth-related functionalities. Such a weakness creates an attack surface where unauthorized entities can potentially bypass established security policies and gain access to confidential service information through Bluetooth communication channels. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because Bluetooth protocols typically operate in environments where physical proximity and device pairing create complex trust relationships that must be carefully managed.
The technical root cause of this permission control failure lies in the insufficient validation mechanisms within the Bluetooth module's access control framework. When applications or users attempt to interact with Bluetooth services, the system should enforce strict authorization checks based on predefined security policies and user privileges. However, the vulnerability allows for scenarios where these checks are either bypassed entirely or inadequately enforced, enabling unauthorized access to Bluetooth service data and potentially sensitive information transmitted through these channels. This flaw may manifest as missing permission verification steps, improper privilege escalation handling, or flawed authentication mechanisms within the Bluetooth service management components. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which specifically addresses improper access control issues and represents a significant deviation from secure coding practices that should ensure proper authorization validation at all service interaction points.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data confidentiality concerns to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks within the Bluetooth ecosystem. An attacker who successfully exploits this permission control weakness could potentially intercept sensitive communications, access restricted Bluetooth services, and potentially establish persistent access points within networks that rely on Bluetooth connectivity. The confidentiality impact is particularly severe because Bluetooth services often handle personal data, device configuration information, and communication payloads that could be valuable to adversaries. This vulnerability could enable attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks on Bluetooth communications, access device pairing information, or gain insights into network topology and device behavior patterns that would otherwise remain protected.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive access control measures within the Bluetooth module architecture. Organizations should ensure that all Bluetooth service interactions enforce strict authorization checks before granting access to sensitive functionality, with particular attention to privilege levels and user credentials validation. The implementation should include robust logging and monitoring capabilities to detect unauthorized access attempts and establish clear audit trails for security investigations. Security patches should address the core permission control mechanisms and ensure that all Bluetooth service endpoints properly validate access rights. Additionally, system administrators should implement network segmentation strategies that limit Bluetooth service exposure and establish proper firewall rules to restrict access to Bluetooth services based on legitimate business requirements. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following ATT&CK framework principles for maintaining secure communication channels and highlights the necessity of implementing defense-in-depth strategies that protect against unauthorized access to wireless communication protocols.