CVE-2024-32992 in HarmonyOS
Summary
by MITRE • 05/14/2024
Insufficient verification vulnerability in the baseband module Impact: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability will affect availability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/12/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-32992 represents a critical insufficient verification flaw within the baseband module of affected systems. This weakness resides in the fundamental verification processes that govern how the baseband component validates incoming data and authentication requests. The baseband module serves as a crucial interface between the device's physical radio hardware and the operating system, handling essential functions such as signal processing, network authentication, and communication protocol management. When insufficient verification mechanisms are implemented, the system fails to properly validate the integrity and authenticity of data flowing through this critical pathway.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and authentication checks within the baseband processing pipeline. This flaw allows malicious actors to potentially manipulate or bypass the verification processes that should occur at multiple layers of the communication stack. The vulnerability manifests when the baseband module fails to perform proper cryptographic verification, sequence validation, or parameter checking on incoming signals or commands. According to CWE classification, this corresponds to CWE-20: Improper Input Validation, which specifically addresses weaknesses where input validation mechanisms are either missing or insufficient to prevent malicious data from being processed. The vulnerability creates a pathway for attackers to exploit the trust relationships that exist within the baseband communication protocols.
From an operational impact perspective, successful exploitation of CVE-2024-32992 directly compromises system availability through several potential attack vectors. The vulnerability can enable denial-of-service conditions where legitimate network communications are disrupted or terminated. Attackers may leverage this weakness to cause baseband module crashes, leading to complete communication failures for the affected device. In mobile environments, this translates to service outages, dropped calls, and loss of connectivity that can persist until the device is manually rebooted or the baseband firmware is updated. The availability impact extends beyond individual device failures to potentially affect entire network infrastructure if multiple devices are compromised simultaneously, creating cascading failures that can disrupt service for large user populations.
The threat landscape for this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK framework techniques focusing on privilege escalation and denial-of-service operations. Adversaries can utilize this weakness as part of broader attack chains that begin with reconnaissance and initial access, progressing through privilege escalation to achieve persistent control over affected systems. The vulnerability's location within the baseband module makes it particularly attractive to threat actors seeking to establish long-term presence on mobile devices, as baseband components typically operate with high privileges and maintain persistent connections to network infrastructure. Network-based attacks targeting this vulnerability can be executed with relatively low computational resources, making it accessible to threat actors across different skill levels while still delivering significant operational impact.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-32992 should prioritize immediate firmware updates from device manufacturers and network operators, as these typically contain patches that strengthen the verification mechanisms within the baseband module. Organizations should implement network monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous baseband traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additional defensive measures include network segmentation to limit the scope of potential attacks, enhanced logging and alerting for baseband module activities, and regular security assessments of mobile device management policies. The implementation of zero-trust principles within mobile network environments can help minimize the impact of such vulnerabilities by ensuring that all communications are verified and authenticated regardless of their source. Security teams should also consider deploying intrusion detection systems specifically designed to monitor baseband protocol behavior and identify deviations from normal operational patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.