CVE-2024-0052 in Android
Summary
by MITRE • 03/11/2024
In multiple functions of healthconnect, there is a possible leakage of exercise route data due to a missing permission check. This could lead to local information disclosure with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/13/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-0052 resides within the healthconnect component of a mobile operating system, specifically targeting multiple functions that handle exercise route data. This issue represents a critical security flaw that allows unauthorized access to sensitive fitness and location information without requiring any special privileges or user interaction. The vulnerability stems from a fundamental missing permission check mechanism that should have validated access rights before exposing exercise route data to various system functions. According to CWE-284, this flaw manifests as an improper access control vulnerability where the system fails to properly enforce authorization checks, creating a pathway for information disclosure. The healthconnect module serves as a central repository for health and fitness data, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to extract sensitive personal information including detailed exercise routes, timestamps, and geographical coordinates. The absence of proper permission validation means that any application or system process with access to the healthconnect functions can potentially retrieve exercise route information, regardless of whether they should have such access rights.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data leakage, as exercise route information often contains highly sensitive personal data including home addresses, workplace locations, and daily movement patterns. Attackers could exploit this flaw to build comprehensive profiles of user activities and routines, potentially enabling stalking, targeted advertising, or even physical security threats. The vulnerability's design flaw allows for local information disclosure without requiring additional execution privileges, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by any malicious application already present on the device or through system-level processes. This characteristic aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 where adversaries leverage existing system capabilities to extract sensitive data. The lack of user interaction requirement means the vulnerability can be exploited silently in the background, making detection and prevention particularly challenging for end users who may not be aware of the unauthorized data access occurring on their devices.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-0052 should focus on implementing robust permission validation mechanisms across all healthconnect functions that handle exercise route data. System administrators and developers must ensure that proper access controls are enforced before any exercise route information is exposed to external processes or applications. The fix should involve adding comprehensive permission checks that verify the requesting entity's authorization level before granting access to sensitive health data. Organizations should implement regular security audits to identify similar permission gaps in other system components and ensure that all data access points properly enforce authorization policies. Additionally, device manufacturers should consider implementing enhanced monitoring capabilities that can detect unauthorized access attempts to health data repositories. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of following security best practices such as the principle of least privilege and defense in depth, where multiple layers of security controls work together to protect sensitive information. Users should be educated about the risks of installing untrusted applications that may exploit such vulnerabilities, and system updates should be applied promptly to address the identified flaw in healthconnect functionality.